Cover designs - Penguin Random House Part 1

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Any use or reproduction of this material without authorisation may result in serious consequences. All work is produced under the umbrella of Penguin Random House, and the copyright remains with them.

Hello!

Welcome to Part 1 of my cover design series.

Here are some book cover designs I've created at Penguin Random House.

I've worked on over 40 book covers so far and still counting. I've handled projects ranging from front-to-back cover creation to setting up spreads for publishing.

I'm excited to share a selection of these covers along with the creative insights that inspired them.

Additionally, I'll outline the simplified process behind crafting covers for Penguin Random House,

keeping it brief and focused.

Hope you find it insightful!

Let's begin with one of my favourite covers:

The Termite Queen

Step 1: Understanding the Brief

I begin designing the front cover by reviewing the provided brief, which outlines the author's preferences.

This process starts before the final text work is underway, so I rely on the short book synopsis and cover brief.

For instance, the cover brief for this book aimed to creatively explore the theme of the Termite itself.

Step 2: Research

Sometimes, samples are received from the author showing their vision for the cover, including references to existing books. Even with these samples, research into competing titles is conducted first to understand the audience's preferences.

Step 3: Creating Front Cover Options

After conducting brief research, I proceed to create front cover samples, aiming to present a couple of options. Below are some alternatives that were considered but didn't make it to the final cover.

Step 4: Refining the Selected Option

I refine the selected option until it passes the final test, receiving approval both internally and from the author. This step involves a lot of back-and-forth to perfect the design. Once approved, it’s smooth sailing ahead.

Step 5: Designing the Back Cover

After receiving all approvals, I proceed to work on the back cover. The design varies depending on the genre of the book. For non-fiction books, I aim to keep the back cover sharp and minimal.

I also need to adjust the cover once the internal pages are finalised. Adjusting the spine and setting up the cover spread is a crucial stage—one small mistake can mess up the entire cover.

That's it! The cover is ready!

I follow the same process for all covers. Of course, there are more steps and complexities involved along the way, but I won't bore you with those details. Sometimes things don't go as planned, but that's all part of the process. The goal is always to find the perfect cover that represents the book.

Here's another one:

Why we feel Blue when the air is Grey

This cover was particularly challenging as the brief kept changing.

I underwent numerous revisions, involving multiple internal and author rounds, before finalising this design.

Initially, I explored image-based concepts. Below are a couple of samples of rejected covers.

After multiple rounds, I realised that using images might not be the best approach and shifted the concept to illustrations, and some lovely options emerged.

Below is another selected option that progressed but was not chosen for the final cover.

Below is the final spread design. I particularly loved how the back cover design turned out!

One of the earliest covers I created:

Sang Kancil

This cover had a very clear brief: to show the duality of Sang Kancil—small in physique but large in courage.

I began my research by finding similar concept covers and exploring various styles.

Below are some of the covers that inspired me.

I started with an image-based style, using a realistic image of Sang Kancil. I arranged the oversized image against a plain background to depict the courage of Sang Kancil despite its small size.

Below are some options that were considered but didn't make the final cut.