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Martin Publishing Services

Publishing and Design Services for Authors and Presses

Interior Layout Portfolio

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Cover Design Education: Concepting and Selecting E

Cover Design Education: Concepting and Selecting Elements

The core wrong-doing of the client's cover design (left) is that he chose several elements (the upside-down earth in orange to represent the solar flare, the snake, the 666) of the book to put on the cover—and it has created a disjointed design. The guy is 80, so I think he did a smashing job for an octogenarian. His book has over 100 good reviews, AND he got a great review from Kirkus for his writing.

But he hired me to design a new cover, so let's take a look at some of my processes.

The cover should have one central focus. That doesn't mean you can't bring in other elements, but you have to make sure they all work together. For this cover, I chose three elements to combine into one core element: light, tech, and the 666.

How did I arrive at what that central focus should be for this science/political fiction novel?

After researching the genre, I turn to the book description:

"In 2086, NatGov was poised to arrest Dr. Dar Lumbre for performing genetic experiments banned by law, but before the warrant could be served, a solar flare erased large amounts of national census data. . . . CellTech geneticists, Crane Hopkins and Annie Lee, are thrust into this melee due to the failure of DL-666, the oddly-named synthetic heart tissue developed by Dar Lumbre shortly before his disappearance. . . . His name means to give light. If he reappears, will he establish himself as a bold new light in the world of medicine? Or will NatGov ban his efforts a second time and impose another scientific dark age, as the number 666 might suggest?"

So we can see recurring themes in the book description: 666 and light/solar flare.

Then it comes down to finding/developing the right element(s) to represent 1) the genre and 2) the content.

I also chose a typeface that visually represents the content.

Our next step is ordering a print proof to see how the colors turn out. This is especially important when the cover uses compositing (blending of separate elements into one element, which I do the majority of in Photoshop but I also use InDesign's object features at times).

#coverdesign #sciencefiction #politicalfiction

As a designer, my goal is to always deliver a cove

As a designer, my goal is to always deliver a cover that is a win-win-win: 1) a win for the market, 2) a win for the client, and 3) a win for me—and in that order.

For "The Transformation of Sayaka Kai," I preferred the gold geisha because it put the focus on her lips but the client preferred the red one. Both work, so I went with the client's preference for the red.

Teamwork makes the dream work!

This is the antique fork (Mostar, Bosnia, circa 18

This is the antique fork (Mostar, Bosnia, circa 1890) that will be photoshopped onto the fake blood (see previous post) for a forthcoming horror novel. Its bone handle is set with mosaic pins (the large circles). The small brass dots are surface decorations (studs) that are pressed into the bone. The detail work on the metal uses an old technique called damascening (the art of inlaying different metals into one another). Thankful for @jimmymartinblades who knows all this stuff, especially how (and how much) to clean. Image 2 is before cleaning. Years of dirt pressed into the pins.

I chose this fork specifically to represent the story line. Stay tuned for the reveal!

#customphotoshoot #bookdesign #coverartist #indiepublishing #horror #antique #bonehandle

Designing a new horror novel cover and am testing

Designing a new horror novel cover and am testing out my new fake blood for a photo shoot. Fresh blood is translucent, especially when thin on the outer edges. Because of this, I can't use existing stock photos of blood because all of the good realistic ones I could find are on white backgrounds. After this blood congeals a bit, I will be adding in a smear, the relief of which will need to be color matched to the blue background of the cover.

#icantbelieveitsnotblood #horrorart #customphotoshoot #coverdesign

Home again, home again, jiggity jog. @islandbreak

Home again, home again, jiggity jog.

@islandbreakers #nineball #datenight

Saturday morning vibes. #boxerlove

Saturday morning vibes. #boxerlove

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