A Series of Unfortunate Events

This is a series of books that speaks to me and my aesthetic on so many levels. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket is a long series of pulpy adventure books for kids. The world it takes place in is a strange anachronistic time, and the language references famous literature from many different eras. I love the original covers, but they are very much illustrated in a way appealing towards children, and I wanted to take a stab at creating a format that might appeal to more adults.

The pattern that follows through each of the 13 books, the main characters wind up befriending an adult who will be murdered in an exotic way by the end of the book. I wanted to use the covers to memorialize each of these dead characters using victorian silouhetes with backing papers and frames that match their personality or career. The back covers show the “murdered” portraits in a way that infers the way that they were killed.