I’ve been really excited to share this cover, because it might be my new favorite so far. This is technically my first completed Realm Makers book (what I mean is, the author attends the annual Realm Makers conference where I make many of my author connections). The author wanted a blend between science fiction and fantasy, which is difficult considering they both have entirely different trends in design, particularly with typography. Fantasy frequently has scripted, speculative, or even gothic letters, while science fiction has rigid san serifs with little to no flourish (in general, not by rule).

I ended up using George R. R. Martin’s books as a baseline. While his books are fantasy, the typography is traditional and very adult (separate from the kind of “adult” you’d find in his books, to be clear). I thought a similar font would help me establish a middle ground between the two opposite genres. The imagery like the golden-colored pipe organ and the magical strands of light (which play a significant role in the story) lean heavily fantasy. To add science fiction elements, I chose my secondary font to be similar to the Hunger Games movie branding. I also added in some ultra-modern architecture to the vaulted ceiling of the cathedral (actually an inverted handrail in Japan, I think).

This cover was also really fun to do because of its long title, which is a trend right now in young adult and fantasy. You can purchase the book from the author’s website.

With this project also came a logo design for the author’s publishing name, Shadow Word Press. The author explained that the name was derived from a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson entitled “L’Envoy,” and that she also wanted it to convey a musical element. I came up with the idea of combining a harp with a fountain pen.

This cover actually went through several painful early drafts that I never sent for approval (I would die and go to Heaven if I had). But for entertainment and educational purposes, I feel like it’s valuable to show here, if only to underscore the truth that first drafts are frequently horrific.

I was overeager to use a favorite fantasy font, and as cool as it is, the font was too tall and thin to be easily readable in all the lighting and movement of this cover. Even when my composition calmed down a little in the second draft, the font was too tall to stay within the confines of a single colored background. Even if I had used this typography in the final design, some of it would likely have extended too far upward and clashed with the lighter parts of the cover. Instead I chose to use Cinzel.

As for the light strands, I found better stock images and better ways to isolate them from their backgrounds. It was much more powerful to keep the majority of the cover one level of lighting, with the light strands as accents, rather than a central image. The organ already does that (in the style of the Martin books) and there didn’t need to be a second symbol competing.

That’s all I have to say for this cover. I was really proud of the final result, and hope to do more of these in the future.