PhotoShop: Book Cover

"A brilliant concept for a classic book...that is very timely...an emotive experience."
- Derek Wilson, Professor of Graphic Design and Multimedia, College of Marin (retired)

Student Project: Book Cover Design

Objective: Design a book cover for an existing book, using PhotoShop

Design Process:
I chose Stephen King's "The Stand" because it's one of my favorites. I imagined the aftermath of the most current pandemic, influenced by seeing surgical masks littered on the streets. I then imagined what a hospital might look like in the aftermath without using overly graphic imagery. I then photographed various subjects using an iPhone 12. To create the cover, I blended images from a hospital corridor, a backroad near my hometown, and various iconic images related to the novel. I also created custom brushes from images of the surgical masks, enabling me to litter the hallway. For a final touch, I used a custom brush to create a pollen effect that reflects the virus in the novel.

Color Theory: I chose a monotone color palette inspired by surgical scrubs.

Typography: I chose Copperplate Gothic Bold for the author's name. I added beveling and embossing, as well as inner and outer glows, to emphasize his name. For the title, I used Franklin Gothic Heavy, using the same effects as the text for the author. I feel the hierarchy balance between author and title works well in this design.

Overall, this is one of my favorite pieces. The entire project came through from concept to final design.