I also designed another version of the cover, where
the matches are the sole focus. I chose to do this because the first cover was slightly more lenient towards the romantic side of the story, shown through the petals
and the more delicate and clean position of the matches,
as well as a larger use of the colour pink. This second version, however, is more focused on the mental struggle of the characters, creating a messier composition on the cover, while still being minimalistic.

My design for the cover of Norwegian Wood is inspired by a quote, where one of the characters refers to herself as the side of a matchbox, able to light
up everyone but herself. From there,
I decided to use the language of the matchbox to inspire my design.
On the cover, I chose to represent
all the characters who had a big
impact in the life of the protagonist.
Four matches are completely burnt,
to represent the characters who committed suicide. The half-burnt
match represents the protagonist, because of his deep struggles.
The character of Midori is represented
by the only match thatis perfectly intact, because she's the one who represent the future. Finally, the matchbox is representative of Reiko, following her own description
of herself.