Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss
An alternative cover for the novel Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss. For the design of this cover, I was inspired by a photograph I found of overlapping leaves of various species. The color palette was inspired by the photograph, as well as the shape of the oak leaves which seemed to mimic bones. I wanted a darker and less organized shape for the cover.
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The orignal photograph and some conceptual sketches at the start of the project.
I painted the design in gouache and cleaned it up in Procreate so it would feel matte but painterly in design.
After settling on the design, another challenge arose: the type. I wanted the title to feel more organic and handwritten in contrast with the author’s name and the review present on the cover. After many experiments with different types, I settled on the one above, which had an added texture with the calligraphy pen that I felt was missing from the previous attempts.
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(You can spend hours on type, but sometimes the best result is the one you think the least about!)
The orignal photograph and some conceptual sketches at the start of the project.
I painted the design in gouache and cleaned it up in Procreate so it would feel matte but painterly in design.
After settling on the design, another challenge arose: the type. I wanted the title to feel more organic and handwritten in contrast with the author’s name and the review present on the cover. After many experiments with different types, I settled on the one above, which had an added texture with the calligraphy pen that I felt was missing from the previous attempts.
(You can spend hours on type, but sometimes the best result is the one you think the least about!)
