I was approached by author D. L. Mains for a cover re-design of her first book in an epic science fiction/fantasy trilogy entitled, The Chosen One, now available at dlmains.com. When presented with the project I immediately wondered who the intended audience would be. The original cover design didn’t resonate with me, however, it spoke to my ten-year-old son…a real problem since her audience is typically females aged 18-60.
After having read the book, we discussed design direction. Although the original cover portrayed a Latino woman, the heroine is a blue-eyed blonde. Aside from the obvious, I wanted to delve deeper. Ms. Mains and I talked about the various symbols and the main story lines weaved throughout her novel. Since it is also a love story, I felt that too was an important factor which needed to be communicated.
I presented the author with three design options. We ultimately decided to blend two designs that resulted in a strong final product which is sure to target her demographic while staying true to the story. She loved the result. I’m currently reading the next in the series and can’t wait to get started on the cover!