GRAPHIC DESIGN, EDITORIAL LAYOUT
Book Jacket/Cover Design
The Plug Drink is a wellness brand that makes liver-health beverages and adaptogenic products. Working with them as a graphic design intern gave me great real-world experience working at a fast-growing startup, working across both print and digital projects, contributing to Instagram hard posts, seamless carousels and weekly stories, a full-length mocktail recipe book, and multiple smaller liver-focused publications.
This piece received the Graphis New Talent 2025 Honorable Mention award!
AWARD LINK
Project Type:
Graphic/Editorial Design, Social Media
Role:
Jr. Graphic Designer
Tools:
Adobe Creative Suite (Ai, Ps, Ae, Id), Procreate
Timeline:
10 months
01
Assignment
Design a front cover and full jacket mechanical for a book of your choice showcasing typography as the central element. The book I chose was Haruki Murakami’s Kafka On The Shore, a book that I felt had a lot of potential for a dynamic cover and interesting jacket because of its complex and layered subject matters. The process involved making a list of what makes a good cover, looking at existing covers to avoid creating a similar one, sketching multiple concepts, choosing and creating typefaces and a color palette, and finally designing and refining the cover.
02
Approach
I began by selecting themes that best represent the book and created a mood board to visually capture these concepts. I then sketched out 12 different design options using the book’s summary as a guide, experimenting with color, letter positioning, using letters as imagery, and integrating symbols from the book into the typography. Using "parallel worlds," "surrealism," and "symbolism" as my leads, I refined the 12 sketches into three drafts, which I presented in a short pitch presentation. With feedback from peers, I selected and finalized the cover design and then moved on to the jacket. I found pre-written blurbs for the book and information about the author from his website, and incorporated the information into the jacket design.
03
Results
The final works include a 6x9” cover design and a full dust jacket. The teal, purple and yellow colors of the cover capture the essence of a mystical beach while paying homage to the 2002 release date, with the word ‘Shore’ acting as the shore and a cat’s silhouette seamlessly integrated, an icon appreciated by those who’ve read the book. The fluid, multi-colored ‘wave’ on the front and back cover evoke the dreamy, surreal feeling. By incorporating the same colors and iconography from the cover to the rest of the jacket, I maintained a retro and colorful yet cohesive aesthetic throughout the design.
