Tuesday, February 12, 2013

My First Portfolio Project


I’m thrilled to announce I’ve received and completed the first project in my new portfolio career as a writer/editor/book cover designer before even officially opening up shop. A writer friend, Jannine Gallant, is taking the leap from being published with small presses to independently publishing a series of romantic suspense novellas and asked me to design her covers. I had planned to do a few practice projects to master the necessary techniques but couldn’t pass up an opportunity to start out working on the “real thing”.

The most rewarding aspect of this project was collaborating with the author. Most cover designers ask for input from the author during the initial consultation then work independently before offering the client his or her choice of three completed designs. Jannine and I worked together from the start, selecting the images, fonts, and colors. Along the way, I learned how to size and crop, select and cut partial images, and refine edges. There are many more techniques I need to learn, but this was an exciting beginning. I can’t wait to start on the next one!

The wonderful thing about the internet is the ability to shoot ideas back and forth, quickly make changes, and fine tune the design until the author is completely satisfied with the final product. While every author might not want this level of involvement, a large part of the appeal of independent publishing is the ability to control every aspect of the process, and the cover design is critical. It’s the book’s face to the world. I’d love to hear what you think of our finished product.

10 comments:

  1. This was such a rewarding experience. Writing for small presses, you give them your basic ideas and wait for the results. Sometimes they're terrific. Sometimes they're nothing like what you expected. The back and forth exchange of ideas, looking for just the right couple and background to express our vision, was exactly what I wanted. Thanks so much, Alison. It was a pleasure to be your guinea pig! BTW, I'm hoping for a March 1st release date. Stay tuned...

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    1. I can't wait to see the book "out there" for readers!

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  2. Great job! How exciting! The cover turned out great so I'm floored that this is your first shot at "the real thing." Really turned out amazing :)

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    1. Thanks so much, Niecey! I've always loved seeing other authors' cover art, so it's exciting to learn how to produce it.

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  3. The thing that attracts me most to this cover is the color choices. They're relaxing. I also like that the title is obvious but not intrusive. I would pick this book off the store shelf or click the image for more info. Good job, girls, it's a winner with me.

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    1. The background image set the color choices, and I'm pleased with them, too.

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  4. Nice job! I like the colors. The bright green really stands out.

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    1. Since this is an ebook, we really wanted something vibrant that would catch readers' eyes in thumbprint size on Amazon.

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  5. Gorgeous my multi-talented friend. Congrats on a successful first step into this brave and bright new venture!

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