This month, Michelle Argyle at Melissa Williams Design reimagines the cover of Spinning by indie author Janine Kovac, who praised the new cover for proclaiming, “‘I want you to notice this book!’”

Design Note #1: The dramatic colors, lighting, and position of the ballerina make the reader look twice at this cover.

Design Note #2: This is a story about the author’s career as a ballerina but also about her journey of motherhood. I conveyed this by adding a second subtitle but kept it separate from the first subtitle via a different font and spacing.

Design Note #3: Choosing a font for the title was tricky. We finally decided on a soft, feminine script that is also easy to read.

Design Note #4: I went with a warmer color palette for the new cover, especially because of the thematic importance of the colors red and blue in the memoir.

To submit a book for a free cover redesign, email us at booklifeeditor@booklife.com.