Overview
Karlee arrived at the brief with an illustration already in hand — created by a friend, and meaningful for it. In our initial conversations, we talked through what the cover needed to do: not just feel right to the author, but signal the right things to the right readers in a crowded memoir market.
Colour reproduction considerations came up early, and as we worked through the practicalities together — alongside Vanessa at Healing House Publishing — it became clear a fresh direction made sense. From there, we moved into concept development.
Project Goals
Three concepts. Three distinct directions. That’s how I approach a cover brief when there’s real creative territory to explore.
The concept that resonated was a modern abstract illustration — a bottle pouring into a cup. A visual nod to the idea of pouring from an empty cup, without spelling it out. Conceptual, considered, and visually distinctive against what’s already sitting in the memoir genre.
The retro typographic style was something Karlee had flagged early in our consultation as matching her aesthetic — so that direction was already in the brief before concepts were drawn up.
the process
What happened next made the project stronger. Karlee has her own business, Seed a Smile, with an established visual identity — and she could see exactly how the design language could extend into the cover. Rather than treating the book as a separate entity from her broader brand, she recognised an opportunity to bring them into alignment.
The bottle became a watering can. The teacup grew a flower. The palette shifted to her brand colours. Each change was considered, not decorative — and each one deepened the concept rather than diluting it.
Her instincts were sharp. The abstract ‘pouring from an empty cup’ idea now carried the warmth and personality of Seed a Smile without losing its visual impact. The final cover sits in the memoir market and belongs unmistakably to Karlee — which, for an author who’s also building a public profile around her work as a carer advocate, matters well beyond this single title.
the outcome
The interior followed the same logic: considered, purposeful, and connected to the cover’s design language. The retro-style typeface from the cover carried through to the chapter numbers, giving the book a cohesive feel from first page to last. A heart icon for section breaks tied back to the giving theme without overstating it.
These are the details that don’t shout. They just make the whole thing feel finished.
transformation
When the visual identity of a book aligns with the story it holds (and with the person who wrote it) readers feel it before they’ve read a word.
The Art of Giving arrived as a brief with a strong author voice and a clear sense of brand. It left as a book that looks exactly like Karlee: bold, warm, and a little bit unexpected. That’s a good outcome for everyone — publisher, author, and the reader who picks it up off the shelf.
print design wizardry
Whether you’re creating a memoir, a magazine, or an e-book, I offer comprehensive design services to bring your vision to life. With a keen understanding of the nuances of print and digital media, I can design everything from captivating covers to fully formatted, ready-to-print layouts. If you’re looking for professional book design that aligns with your brand or personal story, I’m here to help make your project a success.