Mariana
Tineo
Blanco                 

 



                                                              Info


Every year, new literary works enter the public domain. Apple celebrates these timeless classics in the Books Store with a distinctive visual language, one that unmistakably feels Apple, yet remains true to each story’s spirit.

I had the opportunity to collaborate with artists including Kento Iida on a collection of Osamu Dazai’s works, John L. Wilkinson on the Japanese edition of Tennyson’s Idylls of the King, and Harry Waine on two H.G. Wells classics, The Time Machine and The Island of Doctor Moreau.

Art Direction
Concept Design





Osamu Dazai Collection // Illustration: Kento Iida



Initial sketches with Kento








Osamu Dazai is one of the most renowned Japanese authors of the 20th century. His works are celebrated for their deeply introspective, confessional writing that explores themes of isolation, identity, and existential struggle, capturing the turbulence in Japan at the time.I wanted to represent this alienation and dread through the use of negative and positive space, making illustrations—whether landscape, object, or character—look isolated in muted, earthy tones.Kento was the artist for this project; he was familiar with the writer’s work and explored this isolation through organic textures and highly expressive black-and-white illustrations. 

A personal favourite is the cover for ‘A Handsome Devil with Cigarettes’, a story about rough sleepers, depicted as a foot with dirty soles.


Final Art
Final Art
Final Art
Final Art
Final Art
Final Art
Final Art










Full Collection Art




The Time Machine & The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells  // Illustration: Harry Waine




Initial sketches with Harry









These two works by H.G. Wells helped lay the foundation for science fiction as we know it today. Through themes of devolution, isolation, and moral decay, Wells critiques the illusion of progress, which is a prevalent theme in the genre as we know it today, just check out any episode of ‘Black Mirror’
I wanted these covers to reflect the strange and unsettling worlds and events that unfold, while also updating them for new audiences who would encounter them in-store.Harry was a perfect choice; he brought a level of creepiness and experimentation that speaks to both titles, while weaving elements of the story without giving away their chilling conclusions.







Final Art
Final Art






Idylls of the King by Alfred Tennyson // Illustration: John L. Wilkinson


Initial sketches and art progress with John







Idylls of the King is a classic story told by the poet Alfred Tennyson. The poems capture the full story of King Arthur and the characters that led to the rise and fall of Camelot.Therefore, we needed a cover that framed a couple of these stories without adding too many elements. I also wanted the cover to look folkloric, rough around the edges, as if it were carved with a knife on a plank of tough wood.John’s work really captured what I wanted to express; the illustration does feel carved into the green of the cover, and it has the perfect balance of elements for such an epic story.



Final Art



  MTB  
2025