Animal Farm Book Cover Design | Political Allegory & Propaganda Symbolism
A conceptual hand-drawn book cover for Animal Farm, using flag symbolism and propaganda-inspired design to explore fascism, power and corrupted ideals
Animal Farm — Book Cover Design Concept (Flag Edition)
This alternative book cover for Animal Farm focuses on power, symbolism and the corruption of revolutionary identity.
Rather than illustrating the farm itself, the design centres on a single, stark image: the silhouette of a pig placed on a flag — a visual statement about how revolutions are overtaken by those who seek control rather than equality.
The Flag as a Corrupted Symbol
In Animal Farm, the flag originally represents freedom, unity and shared values. By placing the pig’s silhouette at its centre, the cover shows how those ideals have been hijacked. The symbol of liberation becomes the banner of oppression.
Whether or not the flag is explicitly described as green in the book, the colour choice is intentional. Green traditionally represents land, growth and hope — values associated with the animals’ original dream of self-governance. By allowing a fascistic pig to dominate that space, the design highlights how something hopeful can be overtaken and weaponised.
Fascism and Visual Power
The pig is rendered as a bold, simplified silhouette, echoing the visual language of authoritarian propaganda. This reduction of form reflects how complex truths are flattened into symbols under fascist rule.
The surrounding colour palette — inspired by Stalin-era propaganda — reinforces the political undertones of Orwell’s allegory. These colours are used not nostalgically, but critically, to signal how power reshapes imagery, language and identity.
Hand Lettering and Anarchy
The hand-lettered typography is deliberately imperfect and expressive. Its roughness evokes animality, unrest and instability, reinforcing the sense that order has broken down and been replaced by authoritarian control masquerading as leadership.
By keeping the lettering hand drawn, the design resists the slickness of propaganda while still referencing its visual structure — a tension that mirrors the book’s central conflict.
Conceptual Intent
This cover is about who controls the narrative. The pig on the flag is not just a character; it is a warning. It represents how easily revolutionary language, symbols and movements can be co-opted by those who replicate the very systems they once claimed to oppose.