Keeping a trilogy of book covers in sync
SFF (science fiction and fantasy) author, David Alyn Gordon approached me to provide a cover for part two of his epic time bending series of novels before I got the go ahead to redo the entire trilogy of book covers. As with any fiction that deals with time, David’s novels are complex, so I didn’t want to badly depict some crazy series of events that made no sense to the uninitiated reader.
We decided on showing the broken sand timer you see above. As it would turn out, when I impressed David with the first cover, he decided to hire my services for the rest of the trilogy of book covers.
Finding common iconography
The sand timer in it’s various states of repair were perfect to link each book in the series with a feeling of progression and belonging. We found the common ground amongst the books both from a narrative point of view and also a visual standpoint. As the story progresses, the protagonist put the time piece back together, resolving the issues that have been plaguing the time-space continuum. So having book one with a completely destroyed timer on its side, book two with scaffolding and crooked position, then finally a near complete, re-erected timer for book three.
Using the same graphic anchors
By keeping the same typeface, and positioning of the titles, these books now line up beautifully, and really feel part of a series. I also very similar colour palettes without making them exactly the same. There’s an anchoring turquoise amongst all of them. I wanted it to feel like if you saw them next to each other, you’d immediately see the connection.
If you need a book cover designer
If you’re looking for a book cover artist, feel free to snoop through my illustration portfolio or head straight over to contact me for work. You’ll find my email address and some handy forms which guide you through some of the starting info I’ll need to be able to quote for you. Typically I’m booked up a month ahead of time, but do drop me a line if you have anything time sensitive. Sometimes I’m able to move things around in a pinch. Hope to hear from you! In the meantime, stay informed of my new work and availability and sign up for the mailing list.
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