The Bulletproof Novel

n 2012, three young girls named Malala Yousufzai, Shazia Ramzan and Kainat Riaz were traveling in their school bus in Northern-Pakistan when a Taliban gunman boarded the bus and shot them at close range for their "crime" of wanting to go to school. All three girls fought back their serious injuries and emerged as determined spokespersons for the right of girls to be educated. Tasked with telling their story, we collaborated with renowned Pakistani writer Sanam Maher, and have designed a symbol with the ultimate message of resistance: a book that speaks of knowledge being more powerful than any bullet that might try to stop it. Never has a novel been printed before in a bulletproof manner. But in this case, the context made it all the more necessary. The design and art direction strategy behind this first-of-its-kind work was to be like the girls themselves: bold, outrageous, literally and figuratively bulletproof. While considering options of art-directing the cover, we felt that a novel should indeed be judged by its cover, which in this case stood for a clear, concise message.