This is the second part of a multi-part post describing the design process of the cover, layout, & website for the book A Worthy Legacy by author Tomi Akinyanmi. You can read the Part I here.
PART II: The Final Cover
The first round of the cover concepts were focused on the uniqueness of the yoruba origins of the author and her grandfather, the focus of the legacy.
For the second round we looked for a more ‘universal’ approach on the topic of the book’s theme “learnings of life”, which would allow more people to relate to it. This was a better approach from a marketing perspective and also conveyed the message that the author was transmitting in a better way since the book is about people and life regardless which culture they are from:
The dark background immediately stood out from the rest. And though we loved the title set in the calligraphic font Affair, we later changed it to Bentley & MrsEaves for improved readability:
Here is the final cover:
When we finished the cover, we sent it over to the talented team of COS Productions to produce the book trailer. I was thrilled to see how the video captured the essence of the book:
Coming soon | Part III: Book Jacket & Interior Pages
[...] Part II: The author’s feedback & second round of covers. *The miscellanea on the side of this post is from the font Wingdings2 designed in 1992 by Bigelow & Holmes for Microsoft. [...]
I *love* seeing into this process. I’m fascinated by how each of these design express the same concept in different ways. It’s amazing how changing the font can make such a difference! I feel like a child at a magic show, but sitting in a place where I can see the assistant behind the curtain. Brilliant!
Thanks Emma! Glad you like it -more coming soon. C
This was so great to see the process of your creative work. I love to learn how I can improve my own art work. I did not edit “A Worthy Legacy” but I have asked the editor if he would come and make a comment. I am Head of Production for Circle of Seven Productions (COS) and edit book trailers as well. However, when I saw what Jacob did with Tomi’s cover I knew he was an amazing artist as well. The book cover itself is dynamic and compelling, but Jacob’s added touch of using the elements, font treatment and music really made this whole project fantastic.
Good job!
Keep up the great work! ;)