Project Goal: Design the cover copy and mechanical with a subtle grunge and post-apocalyptic aesthetic while staying true to the author’s illustration.
Art Direction: Lisa Litwack
Spoke by Kat Leyh is a graphic novel for which the author provided the cover illustration. My role was to design the cover copy and extend the visual direction across the spine, back cover, and flaps. While this is a process I use across my mechanical designs for Simon & Schuster, this project gave me an opportunity to explore multiple approaches to the typography, particularly the title treatment and overall formatting.
The final design features a smooth typeface with subtle texturing, along with a bike wheel incorporated into the “O” of the title as a small but central visual detail.
Earlier iterations leaned further into the post-apocalyptic aesthetic, exploring alternate typefaces, illustrated foliage, and hand-lettering. Ultimately, we landed on a cleaner, simpler approach that felt more in keeping with the back-to-basics world of the story while allowing the author’s illustration to remain the focal point.