Creating a book cover

Night Driver

Book cover options for a story about a man driving a cab in 1970’s Los Angeles in search of his wife’s murderers and who descends rapidly into a world of alcohol and drugs. As one might imagine, the story features hours and hours of driving.

This solution focuses on the aimlessness of the protagonist’s search within a desolate cityscape.

The hero’s car—and his life—begin careening out of control, heading for a collision. The publisher Rare Bird liked this cover reminiscent of pulp fiction and B-movie posters.

The hero goes off a proverbial cliff, hands off the steering wheel, pounding alcohol. Big letters, big cliff, big fall.

The endless tangle of streets the hero travels spell out the title of book.

The dashboard speedometer turns into a metaphor for the driver’s state of mind.

And the winner is:

The publishing house chose the cover at the top of the page. 

With positive reviews from figures like Francis Ford Coppola, the book is doing well. Rumor has it another volume is already in the works.

Skills

Art Direction
Graphic Design
Illustration
Photography

Deliverables

Posters