Case Study - Book Cover Design
How do you choose what book you’re going to read next?
Maybe you have a topic in mind.
Maybe a friend sent you a recommendation.
No matter how you found your next book, you probably judged that book by its cover.
Long-time client and author Julia White recently completed two book projects that she needed to launch before the end of the year—and those two books needed covers.
AN ADVENT DEVOTIONAL
Every October Julia and I work together to come up with just the right cover art for her Advent Devotional that reflects the message she’s written within those pages. It’s one of my favorite projects every year, and I’m happy to be part of the process.
Cover art for a book based on Advent should represent not only the words Julia wrote on the page, but also the general sentiments surrounding this special time of the year.
The design for the front of the book cover was inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia written by C.S. Lewis. After discovering an entryway to Narnia through a coat closet, the main characters quickly find themselves in a world of unknowns, with a bit of expectation that perhaps an adventure awaits them. Narnia is a magical place covered in perfect, peaceful white snow.
There is juxtaposition in the setting within Narnia, though, and the image on the front of Julia’s devotional reflects that. Advent is about expectation and waiting and of course, the birth of Jesus . The cover needs to feel peaceful and quiet, but it also needs to create a sense of expectation. In this design, the path winding through the evergreen trees leads the reader into the season and into the joyful mystery of Advent . . .as does Julia’s book.
A YOUNG ADULT FICTION
Not too long after Julia and I completed her devotional design, she sent me a message that she was finishing a young adult fiction book with her co-author, Cynthia Siira.
For any design project that I begin, even if it’s with a long-standing client, I want to get the details behind the project. Julia told me, “The book is a young adult fiction about survivors after a disease wipes out 90% of the world’s population.” Umm…this couldn’t be more timely! But this is certainly NOT an Advent devotional. Time to get to work.
Before I started designing, I asked Julia what she saw in her head when she envisioned the front cover. She sent me some photos and various other materials to get my wheels turning. Some of the words she gave me were “overgrown” and “abandoned”.
I started designing with those in mind and also began to research the dystopian book genre. Knowing that people would judge this book based on it’s cover, we needed to make sure it reflected the story told between its pages. We also wanted the cover to “land” it among the other dystopian novels vying for your attention.
I presented Julia and Cynthia with 3 different book cover options via Zoom (thanks coronavirus) and listened to their feedback. The initial designs were close, but they wanted a few changes to better reflect the anonymity of the silhouette on the cover. I made the changes to the final design, saved all of the files they’d need for production and sent them off to Julia.
Julia and Cynthia were thrilled with the final design. They officially launched their book on December 1st.
Both of Julia’s books are available on Amazon.
It was great to work with Julia again on these cover design projects. If you’re an independent author and need a book cover that attracts your target reader, let’s talk.