What does satire look like?

These are cover ideas for a new project—a satirical novel about corporate backstabbing (literally and figuratively). Featuring deadly fountain pens, metaphorical nudity, slang spewing mobsters, and HR execs gone amuck, this cover should have been easier to design (the tone! the tone!). At the eleventh hour and at the end of a couple of long days, I'm finally happy with the results.

The wickedly barbed typeface used in the top comp is Asteriod Primo.

Texas memoir

Every project has its challenges. This cover is for a fictionalized memoir that begins during the Dust Bowl and zigzags through time and the lives of three generations of rough-and-tumble Texan men. My predicament is that the author wants to make sure this novel / memoir appeals to women. She's provided me with several wonderful photos and personal belongings of the main character (her father)—which frees me to focus on type and color to conjure some 'feminine appeal' for this very manly tale...

 

The typeface used for this last comp is an embellished Jeeves.

On a Didot kick

It's just such a pretty typeface. And speaking of good-looking type, check out Subtype.

Red Carpet business

My latest project is a title that combines red-carpet fashion and business. Imagery was a bit difficult to find—most award paparazzi shots are for 'editorial use only.' But having a chance to use some feminine type treatments more than made up for the image woes.

Typefaces used include the elegant Didot, the carefree Despeinada, and the infinitely customizable Breathe.

Love is sucha a game...

And now for something a little lighter in tone—a novel about the roller coaster ride that modern dating has become. The lipstick Xs and kisses are arranged in a tic-tac-toe game which either side can still win. Or lose.

The typeface is the acrobatic script Penabico which has an amazing number of swashes...

Logo design for Brass Knuckles Media

I'm working on a new logo for my incredibly talented friend Shennandoah Diaz. She's starting a new "uncensored multimedia PR/Marketing firm catering to the innovative and ambitious." You can read more about Brass Knuckles Media here or at Shennandoah’s website.

She wanted something very in-your-face and rock-n-roll to match not only her no bullsh*t personality but also the creative clientele she wants to attract.

My favorite design is the first one shown above. It uses a free font I'd completely forgotten about—Bulldozer.

Series cover

One of my favorite authors is back with another chilling murder mystery. In the premier novel (see it here), the first victim is found with a square hole cut from her abdomen. In this story, the first victim is found clutching a pin. I've taken elements from the first novel—the typography, blood, geometry, and deathly pallor—and transmuted it for the new scenario.

Staying above the political fray

Man, it's been a while since I've posted any covers! Here are some from a current project. This book espouses a conservative viewpoint but is not strongly partisan. Midterm elections are here and bookstore shelves are overflowing with histrionic political books. This book has a rare moderate tone, and consequently the author has requested that true to its content his book should look "above the fray."

Although he believes that America is currently going down the wrong path; he does not demonize politicians, socialists, or bankers. Instead of heads on sticks, my author calls for a cultural shift; he wants the US to return to the 'traditional American' values of individual sacrifice, gratitude, and personal responsibility. As a social entrepreneur who works to promote leadership among middle and high school students, the author sees the ethical education of the younger generation as the cure to solving our country's ills.

I went in several directions with this cover. Some are ominous while others are optimistic. A few are conceptual, while others rely more on mood. Lots feature the flag and a red, white, and blue color scheme. My favorites are the statue of liberty and the flag on the grungy wall covers.

Good review just in!

Jeff Michaels, a client of ours and author of Please Hug Me, I've Been Delayed, got a solid review in this week's ForeWord Magazine. Congrats, Jeff!

"Filled with sarcastic tips and reassurances, this book consoles discouraged airline passengers when confronting various flying mishaps. From long security lines or discoveries of delays, to inquiries about when and where to buy cheap tickets or crippling fears of a crash landing, Michaels provides a range of advice. He also discusses the history of flight (again, sarcastically), as well as recent incidents where take-off and landing crises were averted by pilots and passengers alike. If Michael’s counsel doesn’t get readers through their flights, at least it will entertain them."

Below is his final cover with illustration by the fab C. Covert Darbyshire (see his witty New Yorker cartoons here) followed by a few of my favorite rejects:

Erotica!

This week's project was a departure from our usual business book fare. These are cover ideas for an erotica novel about a personal trainer. Hmm. Abs speak volumes, don't you think?

The cover directly below uses a great *free* font called Existence from dafont.com. Download it here.

Branding branding branding

If real estate's motto is "location, location, location," then the motto for a successful book series should be "branding, branding, branding."

I revised yesterday's comps to bring in more of the previous series' branding. We still kept the DaVinci man, though—for now. Below are the previous books and the new comps.