When working with an artist, I usually work from the inside out and the cover is usually the last element to be designed. I am committed to the idea that the cover should reflect the design, layout and typography of the inside pages – the cover should offer the reader a taster of the interior structure of the book. I often use typography as a core element of the cover design, usually an ‘amplified’ version of the inside typography. Adrian suggested that he would be happy with a typographic approach to the design of his cover.
Adrian sent me a brief synopsis of the plot and some of the major themes from the book. I used these prompts to start thinking about how I might use typography for the cover and started to generate some rough ideas. One of the themes in the book is the theatre – a character in the novel is a ‘sometime actor and pantomime dame’ – this made me think of the blocky typography of playbills. Another theme is journalism and the male-dominated newsrooms of Fleet Street newspapers in the 1960s – this led me to think about inkiness, and the bold uppercase typography of the tabloids.
After several iterations which became progressively more and more layered and dense, I developed some more polished versions with variations in typography and colour that I presented to Adrian. Happily Adrian was very pleased with the approach that I had taken and, although he didn’t select my preferred version, he chose an option which was closest to my original idea. Adrian suggested that the design might be strengthened with the inclusion of some imagery; he sent me some photos (taken by himself) that he thought might work. I used an image of a typewriter on the front cover which fitted perfectly with the inky layers that I had developed and which amplified the themes of sixties journalism and writing.
Further iterations added colour to the design: a hot pink that punctured the heavy black and blue of the front cover. The pink bleeds over the spine and on to the back cover which echoes the layered typography of the front and includes a box for the ‘blurb’. I layered this rectangular box to add visual interest and to connect it to the layering of the background – by happenstance this suggested piles of typewritten pages or letters, another theme in the book. Adrian suggested that a staple in the top left-hand corner would push this idea further.
The pages of the book itself were typeset by Laura Kincaid, www.tenthousand.co.uk – Laura used the tyepfaces that I had used for the cover design for the half-title page, title page and for the chapter openings which gives a sense of cohesion to the book.
I finally got to see a copy of the finished book last weekend. As a designer who is skilled at print management, I usually see a book through print production so it feels odd to have not been involved with this process (but also liberating!). Also, as a designer who usually works very closely on the complete design and layout of a publication it is strange not to be familar with the content of Adrian’s book having only read the cover blurb – I am very much looking forward to reading it!
Adrian Ross: James designed the cover for my debut novel, Sons of Great Men. He also designed the logo for my imprint, atwr books. It was a real pleasure working with him. He’s highly creative, with a can-do attitude – which is a super combination. This was the first novel he worked on, having previously established a sound reputation for designing art-related covers. He took up the challenge without hesitation, keen to push his own boundaries, and did a fantastic job.
With the book cover and the logo, James provided a theme with variations, which I appreciated, but in each case I went for the first design! I think that shows his artistic instincts are very strong. At the same time, he’s not precious about the work. Once he’d set up the typographical cover design, which achieved a beautiful layered effect, we agreed to add a photograph of a typewriter on the front. On the back, he set the blurb on ‘pieces of paper’, another effect that relates nicely to the novel’s plot. The finished product is something I’m proud to promote. Throughout our collaboration James was friendly, knowledgeable and efficient. I’d thoroughly recommend working with him.
The book will be published in 2026 by atwr books.