Book Cover
and Writer Signing Tour
'Wolf in White Van'
For this project I designed a 10 year anniversary book cover for the fictional novel 'Wolf in White Van' by John Darnielle and created promotional materials for writer book signings. The book was published in 2014 and is celebrating it's 10th year anniversary in 2024.
Scope
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Graphic Designer
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Illustrator
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Print Design
The Plot
In "Wolf in White Van" by John Darnielle, the story follows the life of Sean Phillips, a man who has suffered a disfiguring injury and now lives a reclusive life. He creates a mail-based role-playing game called Trace Italian, which becomes popular among a small group of players. However, when two players take the game too far and suffer unforeseen consequences, Sean is forced to confront his past and how it influenced his creation. The novel explores themes of isolation, escapism, and the blurred lines between reality and fantasy.
*Original Cover
Research
A thorough rereading of the novel was my first step in the process of research. I started with notes of the key takeaways from my previous read and proceeded with reading the novel while taking notes on themes, characters, concepts, and visuals. The "wolf in white van" within the novel is more of a concept or force of nature within the protagonist. It is also juxtaposed with the 'Satanic Panic' of the 80s as the author explores subconscious influences on the psychology of a teenager.
Preliminary Sketches
Due to a variety of possibilities in potential visual approaches, I opted for loose sketches of my ideas to iterate from and to consider strong avenues. The wolf itself and its ambiguity was a striking concept to explore, as was the 'Trace Italian' with its labyrinthine structure. Mystery and ominous atmosphere were most enticing to me as I worked through concepts.
Mood Boards
Telling a story while providing characterization and worldbuilding was the primary challenge during ideation. The wolf as a visualized concept and the 'Trace Italian' labyrinth featured within the book were evocative in their meaning described visual qualities. My initial sketches were loose and explored the settings within the book and the concepts that might provide visual opportunity.
First Outlines/Color Studies
The initial outline provided opportunity for experimentation with illustrated elements carrying over from cover to cover across the spine. This consideration also provided opportunity to explore the duality of the protagonist's past and present as well. Color studies provided opportunity to explore how the changes impacted the mood indicated for the book and to take note of elements that would elevate the core narrative.
Final Designs
Book Cover Redesign
Book Cover Mockups
