Rebels & Rage book cover design

Jonathan Ball Publisher requested that strong type carried this design. The type had to be punchy – while not looking too much like an echo of the author’s previous book published by Wits Press (South Africa’s Suspended Revolution), which had a gritty, blocky type and was very yellow.

The challenge here was for the cover not too look too much like an academic book, or a book of philosophy. It needed to be mainstream trade in its appeal so the challenge was to help make this book look less academic than in fact it is.

Adam Habib, the most prominent and outspoken university official through the recent student protests, takes a characteristically frank view of the past three years on South Africa’s campuses in this new book. He critically examines the student movement and individual student leaders who emerged under the banners #feesmustfall and #Rhodesmustfall, and debates how to achieve truly progressive social change in South Africa, on our campuses and off.

This book is both an attempt at a historical account and a thoughtful reflection on the issues the protests kicked up, from the perspective not only of a high-ranking member of university management, but also Habib as political scientist with a background as an activist during the struggle against apartheid.