Redesigning a book cover for the novel, “After River” by Donna Milner was a great task. The book is about a recollection and revisiting of an unresolved childhood past and the search for answers and closures. Evoking themes of identity crisis and nostalgia. Therefore, the cover must be designed essentially to evoke the same themes. It is important for readers to get a sense of what the book is all about at first glance, but also - in this re-designing task - to be able to respectfully match and surpass its predecessor. So that former readers would appreciate the book even more. I’ve come up with different ideas and multiple iterations to create a cover that reflects the life and soul of the main character and story. “After River” was given a brand new look that is both satisfying as a former reader and significantly improved. The artwork I put into it not only gave the cover a dramatic look, but also gave it emotion.
Reading the book several times, I know the story and premises by heart. So I focused on the emotions evoked from the story and use it for my design directions. I first experimented with hand writings to embody the main character in their monologue state. Then I made several sketches to represent the main character and the setting of the story.
Treating the sketches and handwritings and preserving their traditionally hand painted state, along with the use of a colour palette that mimics a cool but saturated sunset hues, gave the the cover a filmic look showing a time and place. The uneven painterly look is for the reader to interpret off the main character’s rough journey, reminiscent of memories, sorrow, and love.
