Spring 2024 books!
It’s been a wild first semester of 2024—so much has happened in my life, it is surprising to think some of these books are less than six months old!
Ocean Drive: A Novel by Sam Wiebe
Cover and text design
I have worked on a few mystery and crime novels before, but this was my first time designing a cover for one. Since my wife is an avid reader of the genre, I had to consult her in understanding what makes a good crime novel cover.
Harbour Publishing
5.5 × 8.5 inches, 320 pages
Typefaces: Interstate, Questa
Just Stab Me Now by Jill Bearup
Text design
One of the most typographically complex novels I’ve ever seen. This metanarrative involves an author, Caroline, interacting with her own character, Rosamund. Therefore, I had to come up with distinct treatments for Caroline’s story, Rosamund’s story, and chat and text message exchanges between Caroline and her editor. To mark the change between the Caroline’s and Rosamund’s stories, I used two different serif typefaces: the classic Baskerville and the modern Grad.
Sword Lady Books
5.5 × 8.5 inches, 184 pages
Typefaces: Monster Clubhouse, ITC New Baskerville, Grad, Proxima Nova Condensed
Asterisms: Poems by Donna Kane
Cover design
Named after a pattern of stars that isn’t a recognized constellation, Kane’s collection explores nature, the universe, and our place within it. It felt appropriate to adorn the cover with a butterfly (probably Papilio clytia) wing pattern that is reminiscent of stars and galaxies.
Harbour Publishing
6 × 9 inches, 80 pages
Typefaces: Kristal, Arno Pro
Reservations: The Pleasures and Perils of Travel by Steve Burgess
Text design
This book features several accounts of trips to Japan (among other places), and coincidentally, I started working on shortly after I visited Japan for the first time myself. The bars behind the chapter numbers are meant to evoke directional signs.
Douglas & McIntyre
6 × 9 inches, 312 pages
Typefaces: Quasimoda, Arno Pro
More Spring 2024 books
Window Shopping for God: A Comedian’s Search for Meaning by Ken Deborah Kimmett (Text design)
The Road to Appledore: Or How I Went Back to the Land Without Ever Having Lived There in the First Place by Tom Wayman (Text design)
