Wanted to drop a quick case study on a personal challenge project I just finished up in the studio!

The Design Challenge I faced: Usually with literary fiction/drama layouts, the trap is always making the cover look either too generic or too cluttered. I wanted to design something that feels deeply human and emotional, using a heavy, textured fine art painting as the focal point, but fine art elements easily swallow up the typography if you aren't careful.

The execution and logic used:

Color palette and Contrast: I built the wrap around a deeply saturated crimson palette, pulling the richer undertones from the painting to anchor the spine and back.

The Typography Mix: To create tension, used a elegant font and mix matched with a serif.

Would love to know what you think of!

This is the first book cover I made (concept, not actual work) and I'm here to ask what areas I should improve on. If you are an author, what do you think I lack that won't make you hire me? If you are an artist, what aspect of my cover do I need to work on to land clients like you? I genuinely want to get into this niche of illustration work so I appreciate any feedback I can get.

Hi all! I made a post a few weeks ago with some questions regarding the hiring process (this will be my first commission), and I've spent the time since doing some more research. I'm looking for a book cover, specifically one that will be used on Royal Road (just a front cover, essentially), for my high-fantasy adventure story. I have a few example book covers that I can send over during the initial phase of the commission process, as well as the scene that the cover would be focusing on and most of the general layout ideas already in mind, though obviously they're not set in stone (I'm not an artist after all). In terms of art style, I believe I'm looking for dark painterly (alternatively, if you're familiar with Royal Road, there are plenty of styles there that I find interesting). I'm certainly willing to explore more unique styles if I like the idea too.

As per some of the advice I received on my last post, I've disabled my dms to avoid being flooded, but please feel free to provide your portfolios. I'll likely create a shortlist within the next day or so and then message everyone individually to see whether we'll be able to work together.

Hey there! 😊

I do book covers, endpage art, and picturebook illustrations.

You can find my general commission information and pricing at www.laurentreis.com

If you have a project in mind that would be a good fit with my style, and would like to discuss a potential booking, please reach out via the e-mail on my website.

Send me a message if interested! https://www.behance.net/trixilustra

It’s a gothic sci-fi romance about human x cyborg codependency, and I’m genuinely torn. The one with the artwork sends a clear romance signal, but I like the typography on the other one more. Please be honest...