Sandra Weihs’ Bemühungspflicht follows a man caught in the contradictions and humiliations of the welfare system. With sharp observation, dark humor, and deep empathy for its protagonist, the novel examines questions of dignity, responsibility, and social exclusion through the story of Manfred Gruber, whose life is increasingly defined by bureaucratic structures beyond his control.

For the cover design, we developed a visual metaphor that responds directly to the novel’s central tensions. Drawing on a recurring motif from the narrative, a rabbit becomes both a symbol of vulnerability and an expression of resilience. Rather than depicting it as passive or defeated, we chose to show it in motion, escaping.

The unusually long title Bemühungspflicht became the key graphic element of the cover. Repeated vertically across the format, the word transforms into a set of bars, evoking a cage or enclosure from which the rabbit breaks free. In this way, typography becomes image: the very structure that confines the protagonist simultaneously forms the obstacle he attempts to overcome.

The result is a cover that translates the novel’s themes into a concise visual gesture, balancing humor and gravity while capturing the tension between constraint and self-determination that runs throughout the book.