Books are the medium that has been with us the longest.
Even in recent times when digital media has rapidly entered our lives, books are still the most preferred medium for conveying information.
It is also the friend who most easily soothes our emotions.
Every day, countless books are published into the world, some becoming steady sellers or bestsellers and leaving a lasting impression on many people, while others disappear before they are even encountered.
A book cover is like the first impression a consumer makes when they meet a book.
The role of a book designer is equally important, as he or she must stand out among the many books flooding the shelves of bookstores, and he or she must also work to present the contents of the book in an attractive and concise visual element within a square space.

This book showcases the work of the next generation of book designers who are currently the most active and leading the industry.
Kim Tae-hyung, Kim Hyung-gyun, Park Jin-beom, Song Yun-hyung, Eom Hye-ri, Lee Kyung-ran, Jeong Eun-kyung: these seven people are the main characters.
You can easily find their names by looking at the covers or copyrights of a few books displayed in a bookstore.
Most of them worked as in-house designers and are now freelancers or working as art directors at publishing companies.
This book is particularly noteworthy in that it focuses on 'B-cuts'.
B-cut refers to the second and third covers that the designer kept in a drawer of his heart, although they were unfortunately not chosen as the final cover of the book.
It provides special fun to compare B-cut drafts that never saw the light of day for various reasons with the already published A-cuts.
Designer Kyungran Lee, who initially planned and promoted this book, prepared questions that would be good to think about with fellow designers, along with designer Eun-kyung Jeong.
The seven book designers, who understand and know each other better than anyone else, asked each other in-depth questions, and this book is composed of their honest and sincere answers.
And the pictorial collection of B-cut covers from each of the designer's representative books is very helpful in understanding the designer's tendencies and work direction.
Finally, even the brief Q&A sessions shared by all seven designers reveal their distinct personalities, as distinct as their work.
Through this, we can closely read the story of how these seven people entered the world of book design and their own design philosophies.
And it painfully points out not only the unique field, process, and history of trends in book design, which has the physical nature of a book and is distinct from other graphic design fields, but also the problems and realistic limitations of the industry that need improvement.
It is not simply an accusation, but a passion for one's work that cannot arise without deep affection.
It is a voice of hope that seeks to improve together with all those working in the publishing industry.
Additionally, it details the story behind the creation of a single book, including the process of developing individual design concepts and episodes from the time of work, as well as countless beautiful ideas that were never realized.
It is certainly not an easy experience to be able to gather all these stories together.
In particular, it has even higher collection value because it is a 'limited edition' that was first published in limited quantities.
The cover design was done by designer Kim Hyeong-gyun, who also participated in this book.
This special edition, which is made with a sturdy, four-season cordless binding and a luxurious finish with perforated paper on the front and back, is only available in the first edition.
This is because the second edition will be produced as a general distribution version.

This book goes beyond simply looking into their design notes and listing and displaying their work.
He vividly describes the cultural atmosphere and physiology of the entire Korean publishing industry more closely than anyone else.
Therefore, this book is not so much a designer's art book as it is a living, ongoing history of all of us publishers.
This work will provide aspiring book designers with an opportunity to indirectly experience the work process, and I hope it will also be a great stimulus to all publishers, including current book designers and editors.
I am so happy to be living in the same era as such wonderful people and to be able to create a book together with them.
Everyone talks about the slump in the publishing industry, but with these passionate people around, our future may not be so bleak.