a perfect grief
ricardo lísias narrates the period in which he was hospitalized with covid-19, oscillating between consciousness and reverie. it describes the struggle of doctors and nurses, and the anguish for patients who did not survive. he talks about the difficulties of recovery and shows how, even after the trauma, the disease leaves deep marks on relationships with others. in his hallucinations, the narrator sees his wife with “stone” eyes and his son with a “blurry” face, and fears he will never see them again. the narrator’s optical delusions inspired the creation of this cover. a video game screen — which was the preferred virtual location the narrator and his son found themselves in while he was in the hospital — was blurred out of focus. its contrasting colors and fluid shapes that seem to move create an enigmatic and attractive image for this distressing words title.
alfaguara, 2022
15 × 23.4 cm
15 × 23.4 cm
ghost engineer
in this peculiar volume of poems, fabrício corsaletti imagines himself in the shoes of bob dylan in a supposed season spent in argentina. the american lyricist supposedly lived in buenos aires at some unspecified period of this century. neighborhoods, bars, cafes, shops, museums and a multitude of characters appear and disappear throughout the 56 sonnets that can be described as passionate, funny, melancholy, philosophical and delusional. as a counterpoint to a book with so many visual suggestions, the publisher preferred a minimalist cover with some subtlety related to the book. the predominant red cover as a background for a modern high-contrasted serif typography seeks to symbolizes the refinement of a utopian buenos aires. its stencil design allows some of its shapes to be partially erased, making a direct connection to the title of the book.
companhia das letras, 2022
14 × 21 cm
14 × 21 cm
women of earth and water
mulheres de terra e água [women of earth and water] presents a series of testimonials from women from different regions, ethnicities and skin tints — maroon, riparian, indigenous, and activist women. they are midwives, weavers, healers, cooks, planters, artisans, artists, masters of songs and dances, masters of life, healing and devotion, bearers of centuries-old techniques of making and labors. the artivist hal wildson was invited by the book’s organizer to create a portrait for each of the testimonials’ authors following his “singularidades” [singularities] series, distinguished by blending portraits with fingerprints. to constitute the cover design, the portraits were colored by an earthy palette and superimposed as if they were translucent, also recalling a watery state. spread across the cover, these women seem to be part of a larger universe, representing a collectivity.
elefante
cover portraits: hal wildson
13.5 × 21 cm
storm
this book tells the story full of achievements of the brazilian hacker who invaded nasa, dismantled crimes on the network with the federal prosecution service and innovated in digital entrepreneurship. a line of binary codes arranged in a grid of pixels on a dark background has its colors inverted in the shape that forms the title of the book. a line of binary codes laid out in a grid of pixels is used to draw a light title against a dark background. the design symbolizes the hacker universe in a constructive way, suggesting the character’s environment to the reader.
objetiva, 2022
14 × 21 cm
14 × 21 cm
the way of acceptance
the key point of this book is teaching its readers how to behave well when facing bad feelings and negative situations. unlike most self-help books which promise a perfect and infallible life, this manual faces life problems realistically and advocates the thesis that accepting a problem is the best way to understand and overcome it. this fluid and captivating reading presents some author’s personal life situations which create true empathy with the readers. the smiley umbrella is a synthetic and humorous iconic cover image witch can symbolises this mindset of of how to deal with bad feelings in a positive way.
reedsy, 2022
13.9 × 21.5 cm
13.9 × 21.5 cm
strange fish
this book tells the story of marvim, a man who got married and separated twice, but who still believes in love. analice, his new companion, is beautiful, patient, understanding and polite. she is perfect. analice is a silicone doll. the doll’s silence, however, is powerful. analice forces him to relive and talk about memories of broken marriages, and will make him dive into his painful frustrations of unconsummated love and desires. the silhouettes of several female legs that illustrate the cover seek to represent these memories and disturbances caused by the new beloved.
companhia das letras, 2022
14 × 21 cm
14 × 21 cm
stolen
a garota roubada [stolen] narrates the saga of an english journalist facing the kidnapping of her 3-year-old daughter during a wedding party in california. the search for the girl quickly reaches worldwide proportions, but it doesn’t take long for suspicions to fall on the mother. the typographic variation in weight and size of the letters seeks to translate the tension and suspense of the plot.
trama, 2021–22
15.5 × 23 cm
15.5 × 23 cm
human compatible
physicist and computer scientist stuart russell exposes the threats and dangers of technology and the need to change this scenario. the author examines how we can coexist with increasingly autonomous machines in order to ensure that they work according to our goals. the cover is illustrated by human faces that appear to be made by facial recognition machines. these faces, however, remain incomplete, suggesting that this coexistence is imperfect.
companhia das letras, 2021
16 × 23 cm
16 × 23 cm
the black iron legacy series, book #2
this epic fantasy trilogy presents an imaginary world where the main events take place in the city of guerdon. the inhabitants of this city of gothic architecture master technologies such as steam and alchemy and are familiar with supernatural events. in the first volume, a group of three young thieves are pulled into a centuries old magical war between ancient beings, mages, gods and humans. throughout the books, new characters appear around the plot of the war of the gods.
the publisher asked me for a series of illustrated covers alike the international covers, using a brazilian illustrator. the spirit of the covers should be adult. i invited the artist paulo torinno to create the scenarios for each book. the developed illustrations have a sophisticated use of colors, lights and shadows which prints an attractive and ideal noir atmosphere on the covers. the characters appear half-hidden by the shadows, giving the sober look intended by the publisher. the typography harbor choosed for the collection is a contemporary interpretation of gothic lettering, making a connection with the city of guerdon.
trama, 2021
co-authorship: paulo torinno (commissioned illustrator)
15.5 × 23 cm
co-authorship: paulo torinno (commissioned illustrator)
15.5 × 23 cm
