GRAPHIC DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION
Kafka On The Shore: Jacket Design
Tasked to design a front cover and full jacket mechanical for a book of my choice using typography as the central element while reinforcing meaning, handling large amounts of text, and demonstrating mastery of hierarchy, point size, paragraphs, and other typographic details.
This piece received an Honorable Mention award in Graphis New Talent 2025 Competition. Click to view!
GRAPHIS AWARD LINK
Project Type:
Book Cover & Jacket Design
Role:
Graphic Designer/Illustrator
Tools:
Adobe Creative Suite (Ai, Ps, Id), Procreate
Timeline:
4 weeks
01
The Assignment
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/jacket
Looking at existing covers to avoid creating a similar one
Sketching multiple concepts
Choosing and creating typefaces & a color palette
Designing and refining the cover/jacket
02
My 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 my 12 sketches into three drafts, which I presented in a short pitch presentation.
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 & Takeaways
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.
GRAPHIC DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION
Kafka On The Shore: Jacket Design
Tasked to design a front cover and full jacket mechanical for a book of my choice using typography as the central element while reinforcing meaning, handling large amounts of text, and demonstrating mastery of hierarchy, point size, paragraphs, and other typographic details.
This piece received an Honorable Mention award in Graphis New Talent 2025 Competition. Click to view!
GRAPHIS AWARD LINK
Project Type:
Book Cover & Jacket Design
Role:
Designer/Illustrator
Tools:
Adobe Creative Suite (Ai, Ps, Id), Procreate
Timeline:
4 weeks
01
The Assignment
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/jacket
Looking at existing covers to avoid creating a similar one
Sketching multiple concepts
Choosing and creating typefaces & a color palette
Designing and refining the cover/jacket
02
My 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 my 12 sketches into three drafts, which I presented in a short pitch presentation.
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.