Graphic Design 3 - Book Cover Design Process Book

Take a look into my creative process for designing a series of book covers from idea generation to product mock-up.

Cassandra Fulton

Topic Ideas Plant Series Novels Game of Thrones Nutrition Guides Travel Guides MN Travel Guides Based off infographic Same type start with same colors - maybe change cities “city lights” lakes “lake life” camping/outdoorsy(same thing?) random things to do - sports - fairs - concerts - state fair seasonal? winter stuff?

City Lights Lake Life Unplugged Seasonal Wonders

E X AMPLE OF BR AINSTORM LIST S

“The truth is, it’s not the idea, it’s never the idea, it’s always what you do with it.”

U NK NOW N

The Creative Process, for me, begins with a list.

Everything from potential themes, color schemes, typographic styles, odd abbreviations for things that only I will understand, photo ideas, and more will be on this list. It starts off as a list but usually ends up looking more like a convoluted idea web.

This list can take a few different forms.

Depending on the project itself, sometimes it’s a traditional pen-to-paper list, sometimes it can be a long, exhausted list in the notes app on my phone, and other times it can even be a Pinterest board. Many times it is a combination.

Many creatives will swear by sketching and laying things out on paper. I tend to have a lot of ideas very quickly and the fastest way for me to get them out and on paper is to briefly jot down the gist of it and then come back to it later to re-evaluate and refine on what ideas have merit and which ones don’t for the project at hand.

For this particular project, my list was a traditional pen-topaper situation. For clarity’s sake, I’ve transcribed my list for easier reading and interpretation.

This stage is where I might introduce some rudimentary sketches. Depending on the project I may not sketch at all.

Some things are easier for me to visualize than others and in the cases where it is something I can visualize, it’s more beneficial for me to jump right into drafting my document digitally.

Projects that are heavy on typography or photography are much easier to draft digitally right off the bat.

It’s not worth my time to attempt to sketch out certain typefaces or photo elements.

I may block them in for larger projects, though.

This project was one that I chose to move directly from refining my ideas to digital drafting. I had the gist of where I was going and just needed to start getting it put together.

MY FIRST DR AF T S OF THE PROJECT

Here is where I start a bit of a trial-and-error approach with each idea. I start theorizing what I might do with that idea and what graphic elements I might choose to include.

For a project with creative freedom, like this, I will also consider my personal interest in the idea. Does it reflect my style and goals as a designer? Should it?

Will this be something that I’ll include in my portfolio?

For what reasons?

This tends to be most effective when I talk it through with someone.

Group critiques are helpful here. I can gauge how effective an idea might be based on the reactions of my peers.

At this point in the process, I’ll be doing a first draft, creating a document of the proper size and specifications, blocking in the overarching concepts of the idea and scrutinizing it.

I consider typography to be one of the most important parts of a project. It’s definitely something that I will be very thorough about choosing exactly the best fit for the project at hand.

It’s usually the first major graphic element that I tackle. In my opinion, if the typography is off, the whole project is off. If it’s not the first thing I’ve chosen to work on in my project, it usually means I haven’t settled on the perfect theme to the project or I may need to determine another graphic element first.

I consider the characteristics of a typeface, the weights available, the scale of the type I’ll be using and creating pairs of typefaces for larger projects.

I wanted the title case to have camping-esque vibes and be readable at a large scale and vertical orientation. The typeface I settled on, “Cheap Pine,” even had some lovely dimension that I manipulated in the final draft.

The second typeface I chose to showcase the subtitles was “Fenway Park.” A lovely, readable script font was a great way to add a touch of flare to the project.

Finally, the typeface for the body copy was “Trade Gothic Next.” This sansserif typeface was a great pairing that added a touch of reliability and clarity. The title and subhead typefaces were both more artistic and pairing a clear sans-serif font was just what this piece needed.

This project in particular was very reliant on a perfect pairing. It features a large title, a prominent subhead and body copy.

“Type is what meaning looks like.”

MA X PHILLIPS

MY TYPOGRAPHIC STYLES

Cheap Pine Fenway Park

Trade Gothic Next

Explore the whole series:

Minnesota Unplugged City Lights Lake Life Seasonal Wonders

The photography in this piece was one of the bigger players. I chose to feature scenic photography of the state of Minnesota geared towards the content of the specific issue.

Locating photos that were of a similar style, that were also diverse enough, and had areas that would house type without excessive altering of the photo proved to be a challenge and was where most of my time was spent on this project.

The photos needed to be high-quality to withstand covering an 8.5”x11” 2-page spread with no distortion.

They also needed to evoke an emotion about the subject.

For this project, the photo was going to carry most of the weight of the viewer’s perception of the series.

I needed to find a bustling city, a peaceful naturescape, a calming lake, and a wonderous winter scene all that fit a similar aesthetic.

I think I proved successful on this front.

THE FINAL VERSIONS

NEAR FINAL VERSIONS

I looked at each element and evaluated the spacing, the presence on the page, the impact on my message, and the potential perceptions of the viewer.

I looked for any possible flaw and either addressed it or justified it as a positive part of the project.

At this stage of the project, I needed to perfect every last detail. I chose a minimalist approach, which means the few details that were there needed to be flawless.

I took critiques from my peers, and from myself. I asked myself “why did you do it that way?” with every single element on the page.

This is one of the more daunting parts of any project, for me. I get invested in my projects and looking at them in this light can be difficult to do sometimes. Especially, when I may decide to change an entire element. Luckily, that was not the case on this project and only small adjustments were made at this stage.

One of my personal favorite steps in a project, bringing everything to life.

Taking a project that you’ve only looked at on a flat computer screen and bringing it to life really changes how you see a project, usually for the better.

I tend to prefer digital mock-ups to showcase my projects, as I get to have complete control over how it comes out. It lets me put my best foot forward.

I was particularly happy with how this project came out.

It was one of those rare projects where I visualized exactly how I wanted it to come out and it actually happened.

Rome wasn’t built in a day... but this book was.