Book Cover Project #01 - One True Loves
First of all, let me share a bit more about this wee project I am embarking on. It is the first one, afterall…
As part of both my creative outlet and a way to (kind of) slow down the consumption of books, I decided for 2022 I would start a graphic design project where I design alternative covers to the books I finish this year.
And while I am already 5 books in (please add me on Goodreads if you use it!), I have only just finished the first book cover. I wanted to share them here to keep me accountable and to keep track of my progress. This exercise is also another way for me to “sit” with the books for a little longer than normal, as I tend to lean more on the literary scale of “hit it and quit it” for lack of a better phrase.
So while I will be posting the actual graphics on my Instagram feed I am using this space to share more details about the book itself, other thoughts and ideas on where the book cover might have taken me, and mood boards related to my creative process. If you think any of this is interesting to you, or if you just like reading long-winded blogs (because by this time of my day, I have written all the logical, poetic words I can think of and I am tapped out), feel free to pop in and check my progress once in a while.
Original cover of One True Loves, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Now that the bookkeeping is out of the way (see what I did there?), onto the actual task at hand… the first book of the series:
One True Loves
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I first fell in love with this author last year when I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which was by far my favourite read of 2021. I went on to read Malibu Rising, another great book by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and knew I wanted to start the year off right with this one.
Libby did me right and delivered on schedule, making this my first official book of 2022 and also the first in my book cover series.
The book review:
Now for those interested, I thought I would include this section about the book itself. If you don’t care, feel free to jump down to the design section.
The book was a really great read that truly had me on the edge of my seat jumping back and forth about who I wanted the main character, Emma, to end up with.
And while the plotline was wonderful, as is the author’s style, what really struck me about this book was how enlightened it was. It felt as though I was reading a gentle therapist’s guide on how to deal with grief.
It sounds like the book is written by a therapist to their close friend on how to grieve a major loss. It is the ultimate mantra for dealing with a significant loss of a partner or navigating a tough break-up.
Being someone who has experienced my share of loss, this book really hit home. It can be such a confusing time trying to muddle through the days and the thoughts of I’m not doing this right or I wish someone would just come over and tell me how it’s supposed to be done. Where this book wins for me is the gentle way the author guides us through Emma’s loss to a point where she might accept herself and acknowledge the growth she’s experienced as a result.
So all in all, I rated the book 4/5 stars on Goodreads. I would have gone with 4.5 stars, but they don’t do halves.
My book cover design for One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
The new design:
I do have to say that everything I am envisioning somehow doesn’t really turn out on paper, so I am hoping that throughout the course of this project, I can get a little better at translating the idea I have in my brain a little more accurately in the design. But that’s the fun of doing a creative project like this. Hopefully, I get better with time!
So here we have it — My redesigned version of the book cover.
Throughout the story, there was a lot of reference to looking out, searching, etc. and I wanted my cover to speak to that. In my mind, I had envisioned it as a sunset or horizon line. I also wanted to include the idea of looking through binoculars, as it was a significant reference in the book.
I understand that the original cover appeals a bit more to the larger audience as a “beach read” and I love that they included the stack of books to relate to the story. I also appreciate that the larger version of her name is probably better for marketing purposes, but since I read mostly ebooks through the library with most of my recommendations coming from friends and family, I went with a more pared-down artistic version.
I really do love the calmness that I feel when looking at this cover, as I think it speaks really well to the therapeutic effect of the book (FYI, this makes more sense if you read the review above).
So that’s that for the first book! If you enjoyed this, I am sure you’re going to enjoy the coming covers. I already have some fun mood boarding and playing around with the fourth book in my project, which I am so excited to share later.
In the meantime, please let me know what you think! Would you pick up this book if it were on the library or book store shelves? Is there a book you recommend that you’d love to see a cover re-design of? Let me know!
