Redesigning a book cover for The Long Dead Road a thriller novel.
The brief provided a list of books by new street authors with the aim to be to redesign the cover of one off the list. The chosen book for this was ‘The Long Dead Road’ by Andy Conway, which was inspired by the Jack Reacher novel, and the deadline was three weeks.
The novel was under the thriller genre, initially a trip to Waterstones to look at other thriller books helped to identify key elements to include in this cover, the main being to develop of the atmosphere the cover needed to create. Through further research, it was discovered that texture was key to creating this tense feeling that thrillers generate, initial digital drawings did not convey this enough and so did not capture the genre correctly. Brainstorming, experimenting with techniques and delving into the synopsis of the novel helped to pinpoint was missing from initial designs.
The end product was three different covers for this book, created with the use of photography textures and stock images. With the short deadline, these both helped with putting the work together efficiently, while still capturing the feel of the genre. Taking original photos helped focus and visualise the main character of the novel. Including a winter coat and heavy boots while covering the face added to the mystery and set the scene of the book. Additionally, to create the imagery of a forest, secluded and eerie, printing techniques using a wood lettering type were used. All together, these elements collated digitally to generate the cover. The result was a standout book cover that captured the feel of the book, and gave an insight into the story to draw a reader in.