Book Cover Design: Subject To Change
by Kumi AkiyoshiI’d like to share the process and ideas behind the cover design of our richly produced book, “Subject to Change: Creating Great Products & Services for an Uncertain World”.
We began by setting visual goals that best convey the content of the book. We agreed that it would be graphically conceptual and that it should invoke a sense of transformation, urgency and excitement.
These were early design explorations in different directions to begin brainstorming some visual ideas.
We loved them … but they wanted to see more. (*~*) And to be honest none of these strongly conveyed the design goals. (- _ -)
Then came the publisher’s input and we were provided with a brief outlining the publisher’s “General Brand Sensibilities”. In response, the next set of explorations incorporated intriguing photographic images to create an emotional response.
We also needed to address some practical points. “From a retail merchandising standpoint, the title should be easily read both in retail and online. The imagery and the title should be memorable, intriguing and inviting.”
After many more iterations, we arrived at the final cover design with the following three main design elements to communicate what’s inside.
The image
The book is about creating great products and services for an uncertain world. The dynamic image communicates the idea of speed and transformation. Twist and turns of a rapidly changing world.
Bright orange!
This is to get your attention and the orange band placed diagonally conveys urgency.
The title
White against vibrant orange makes the title pop and creates a sense of excitement. San serif typeface Fedra Sans was chosen for its clean, contemporary and versatile feel.
Here’s the final cover:
Graphic design practice can sometimes seem like a battle between the aesthetically driven designer versus commercially driven publishers, marketers and authors. In reality, good design utilizes the collective knowledge and experience of all parties involved and balances various factors to arrive at the final appropriate result.
June 2nd, 2008 at 12:46 am
Thank you for posting this.
It’s great to be able to get insight into the design process by viewing things that were explored and discarded along the way.
June 3rd, 2008 at 6:10 am
[...] Book Cover Design: Subject To Change – Adaptive PathNice story detailing the process (and early iterations) on how they ended up with the final cover design for Subject to Change. [...]
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:40 pm
It is true that a design goes through an evolution as the process unfolds. Sometimes it can move far away from its initial objectives if it is diluted from non-qualified input and lack of design leadership. More often, however, the collaborative process creates a stronger end result. Also, I find that I lean towards the idea that regardless of the process, the design must be able to stand on its own to be successful.
Constructive criticism: I cannot help but comment on the lack of typographic sensitivity on the cover–especially the kerning. (Refinement is in the details.)