Client
Hawkeye Publishing
Deliverables
Illustrated book cover
Bookmark
Year
2023
Brief
Design and illustrate a book cover for a young adult fantasy novel featuring shapeshifting protagonists in a Celtic setting. The author wanted to see imagery of a lighthouse, moon, waves, fire, blood, and hands incorporated into the design, and requested a colour palette including dusky purples, white, and gold.
Outcome
Moontide's cover is unique and eye-catching, with stylised illustrations that capture the book's central themes and motifs and appeal to contemporary audiences. In addition, the elements made for the back cover were used as the basis for a double-sided promotional bookmark.
Approach
On top of the motifs originally requested by the author, I was also interested in incorporating representations of the novel's protagonists in the form of a wolf and a seal, as this would help to visually convey the fantastical setting whilst still maintaining subtlety.
While not my initial personal preference, the concept depicting hands holding a lighthouse made for a striking image when developed further.
Style development
Rather than work to a realistic style, I opted to put the focus on shape and colour, creating contrasts with the limited palette and defined lines. The addition of texture through shading and overlays balances out the simpler style and gives the design a more rough and worn-in feeling.
