This month, Deborah Bradseth at Tugboat Design reimagines the cover of Roliath by Amber Schunk-Clubb, who describes the redesign process as “a great experience” and plans to work with Bradseth on the cover of the second book in the series.

Design Note #1: The original cover conveyed the right tone and genre but needed the addition of eye-catching visuals to draw in readers.

Design Note #2: The author suggested including characters on the cover, which creates a dynamic, eye-catching visual. By varying their shading—from color to sepia to black-and-white—the images stand out but don’t compete with one another.

Design Note #3: As the top of the cover is the focal point, I used a less-intense image at the bottom to indicate the tone and provide a setting, without making the book jacket overwhelming.

Design Note #4: I chose a thick sans-serif font and inserted a lot of space between each letter to add to the sense of suspense conveyed in the design.

To submit your book for a free cover redesign, email us.