Book Cover Design

PURPOSE

Author William Graney contracted me to design this book cover for one of his novels, A Fierce Jewel. The intent of this design is to communicate an introductory summary of the story with both words and visuals. The audience for this novel is a broad demographic comprising of both young adults and adults, primarily women but also men. For the design to be effective, it needs to gain quick attention and intrigue in the viewer, drawing them in so they want to read the story. The visuals need to communicate key points to what the story is about while remaining vague enough to create interest. To be effective, it needs to stand out against other books on a shelf (or screen) and have text that is legible and easy to read.

DESIGN RATIONALE

This design concept is based on the story line of the novel and utilizes a brightly colored amber jewel centered on a solid white background. The design is very modern and elegant, focusing on simplicity with clean lines and shapes, and utilizing an abstract image that can be interpreted in multiple ways. This type of image meets the audience requirements by quickly grabbing attention and inspiring questions and intrigue. The typefaces also meet the audience requirements by remaining clean and simple. Text bodies use a modern sans serif typeface that is highly legible, with the title using a more elegant sans serif that is also easy to read. To stand out and increase visual interest, “Fierce” is highlighted in a script typeface that is not quite as legible, but is still readable for this audience, and used sparingly. The overall layout is balanced and aligned, conveying structure and hierarchy. On the front cover, the strong color contrast between the white and amber jewel, with the added shadowing for depth, creates a centered focal point that quickly draws attention in. The black and amber text also create strong contrast on the white background, with “Fierce” in a contrasting typeface and color, overlapping the other text in areas, to stand out and emphasize the depth in meaning behind the word. The back cover is very structured with a clear hierarchy, repetition, and spacing, to enhance readability and flow.