Do Killed Covers Go to Heaven?
Looking at some recent unused book covers
I recently completed work on the cover for a book called The Collapse is Here: The Hopeful Christian’s Guide to Restore Faith, Home and Community by Gabe Lyons.1 I didn’t count—because who has the time—but I am pretty sure this title now holds the record for “most unused cover options” in my portfolio. I thought you might like to see some of them to get an idea of what can go into designing a book cover. This one took about three months from creative brief to approval.
Here’s what the final cover ended up looking like, followed by nine unused, or “killed,” covers.2
There are many reasons a cover may or may not be chosen beyond whether or not it is “good.” Some reasons I know here, and some I don’t! But I keep moving, iterating, and exploring. I’m particularly fond of a few earlier covers, particularly the first one in this gallery. I wanted to see it with a gold foil stamp. However, as pretty as that would have been, the imagery wasn’t right for the book. And that’s alright. The greatest strength a designer can have is caring enough to do a good job, but never getting too attached to a particular outcome.
Which cover do you like best? Why?
What I’m Reading (books)
I just finished There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib . I really enjoyed it, but found it difficult to read at times. It was definitely written by a poet, if you know what I mean.
I am currently reading Apparitions & Late Fictions by Thomas Lynch, a poet, essayist, and mortician in my home state of Michigan.
I started Box Office Poison by Tim Robey on my phone to read while getting the kids to sleep.
What I’m Reading (links)
What I’m Working On
The cover for a memoir about working in a saw mill.
The cover for a book about how smart fish are.
The cover for a book about Islam in the second half of the 20th Century.
The jacket mechanical for The Grassland Queen by Priyanka Kumar.
Graphics and marketing material for an anime event at the library.
A sticker sheet for a classic arcade week at the library.
Thanks for Reading!
Thank you for reading! I mean it.
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Until next time,
—Nathaniel
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No, these aren’t all of the unused covers for this book.