Book Cover Design
Cover Art
Case Study: School for Fireflies with Knights Of
1. The Initial Brief
For this project, the team at Knights Of provided a conceptual rough sketch to outline their vision.
I always appreciate receiving initial sketches or mood boards as they serve as a fantastic springboard, helping me align with the client's goals from day one while leaving room for my own creative interpretation.
Exploring Mood & Composition
Based on our initial creative brief, I developed several "colour roughs."
I prefer sketching with colour early on so the client can immediately feel the atmosphere I’m envisioning.
My first round focused heavily on the Blerd-Fantasy mood, exploring compositions that highlighted the characters and the magical essence of the story over a literal interpretation of the sketch.
Refining the Vision
Feedback is a vital part of the process.
After reviewing the options, the client decided to return to the original composition from their sketch, specifically favoring the blue-toned palette.
They also provided deeper character descriptions, allowing me to refine the protagonists' designs to ensure they felt authentic to the narrative.
Iteration: Borders & Layouts
As we narrowed down the design, we experimented with adding a decorative border to frame the cover and decided to remove the map element to keep the focus on the central characters and their environment.
The "Teal & Orange" Experiment
We explored a high-contrast teal and orange palette, but quickly realized it leaned too far into a "Halloween" aesthetic.
Since the goal was a magical school vibe, we pivoted back to the more ethereal, glowy tones that better suited the School for Fireflies world.
Finalizing Under Pressure
Working toward a firm publishing deadline while preparing for international commitments meant communication had to be sharp and efficient.
This stage represents the final high-fidelity work I delivered to the client before the project moved into the final production phase.
The Big Reveal: TA-DA!
This is the final cover, featuring a few last-minute polish tweaks by the client’s internal team.
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School for Fireflies was released in February 2025 and has already been honored as The Booksellers’ Editors’ Choice! It was a joy to help bring this magical world to life.
