Designing a Book Cover
5/20/2025
When our illustrator stepped away from the project (more on that in this post), we were suddenly left without someone to create the interior art or the book cover. But even without the final illustrations, we still wanted to start promoting the book — so I rolled up my sleeves and tackled something I hadn’t exactly planned on doing myself: designing the cover.
Now, many people wisely hire a graphic designer for this kind of thing. But in our case, the cover was supposed to look like Caleb, our main character, had drawn it himself. So, I figured… maybe I could pull it off?
The Diary Concept
The book is written like a series of entries in Caleb’s brand-new diary. Early on, Daniel and I talked about making the cover be the diary cover — almost like the reader is holding Caleb’s journal in their hands.
At one point, we thought about putting the very last illustration of the book — the one where Caleb creates a new character — right on the front. But then we worried that wouldn’t give readers any clue what the book was about.
We talked about the book cover being the front of Caleb's diary, but having a picture "taped" to the front cover. Each book the picture would change based on what the book was about. But we'd discovered that there a few different kids and YA books that have similar cover styles.
We also considered a “blank” diary look covered in doodles. Caleb-style scribbles. Something that hinted at who he is without giving too much away.
From previous research, we knew the cover should:
1. Be easy to read.
2. Clearly show what the book’s about.
3. Set the tone
But when you're so close to the book already, it can be hard to see it from an outside perspective. What Daniel or I find fun and show-stopping, might not be what an outsider thinks.
A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That
So, we started mixing ideas. What if the cover did include the mystery character's face, but also had doodles all around it that hinted at what was inside?
That idea sat for a while — until my sister, Grace (AKA one of our trusty focus group members) suggested:
“What if the cover looked like a coloring book?”
That sparked something. Daniel and I loved that direction. From there, I began sketching doodles: art supplies, Caleb’s backpack, his friends, key moments from the story, etc... We now had a unique way to show tidbits of Caleb's world and his personality all while keeping the diary theme going.
Creating the Logo
As far back as the editing stage, Daniel and I had talked about having a logo for the series. Something simple, colorful, and recognizable — something we could use on merch, social media, a future website, or even merchandise.
We went through a lot of ideas and variations before landing on our final version. It’s clean but playful, and it’s flexible enough to be used as the series title and a recognizable brand mark. We ended up incorporating the logo directly into the title of the book, and it just clicked.
You can see some of the earlier drafts here.
Final Thoughts
Would it have been easier to hand the cover off to a designer? Absolutely. But because of how the book is told — through Caleb’s drawings — it made sense for me to try and stay in that spirit. The process taught me a lot and even though it wasn’t the original plan, I’m really proud of where we ended up.
Want a sneak peek of the final cover? Follow along on Instagram or subscribe to the Art Adventurers newsletter to get behind-the-scenes updates (and maybe a printable Caleb coloring page soon).
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