From the first word, all the way to the last – an author can generate stories that form imaginative thoughts into the minds of those who read them. When designing book cover art, it is vital to take into consideration the feelings behind those words. Why they were written, who specifically were they written for – these are just a few questions whose answers lead us to the perfect cover solution. For this particular project, the title of the book was able to be transformed into a design making the literal, visual. The statement “the world at my fingertips” brought to mind many visions of what could be – we proposed a few concepts, but one design really impressed the author. After careful consideration, he decided that the concept above was exactly what this book deserved – a cover that transformed the literal title into a visual reality.
Design:
The first step was to read the provided synopsis and interview the author. Two hours of research time was spent on discovering cost effective solutions for a globe and fingertips. Three hours were spent drawing sketches on paper to determine our unique visual solution. The final low resolution concept took nearly four hours to create – dropping in a lo-res photo, designing a title treatment, globe, family concept, back cover text and creating the perfect silhouetted hand that brought the concept all together.
Production:
After the lo-res concept was approved, the final hi-res graphic production began. The background beach photography was purchased, the globe and the family unit was illustrated and the title treatment was finalized. Textures were added to the inside of the silhouetted hand and inside the family unit to portray a softness or glow, giving the impression of not just a particular family but the possibility of any family unit in the spotlight. The back of the cover was text heavy, and as each quote was very important to the author and could not be edited or cut – we altered the title treatment for the back to allow room for the quotes. Adding the barcode was the very last step.
What was included:
• Research (2 hours)
• 3 Concept sketches (3 hours)
• 1 Low resolution color design (3.75 hours)
• Online photography purchases ($85)
• Final family illustration (1.50 hour)
• Final globe illustration (2.25 hour)
• High resolution graphic production (6.75 hour)
• Final hi-res text revisions (.25 hour)