THE BRIAR CROWN
BOOK COVER DESIGN
CLIENT | AUTHOR HELEN RYGH-PEDERSEN
CLIENT LOCATION | Norway
PROJECT | Client required cover art as well as corresponding Title Page art for her fantasy novel "The Briar Crown". The cover art needed to feature prominently the Crown itself, a focal point of the novel, while also incorporating thistle, dandelions, and other natural elements. The cover art utilized Adobe Illustrator for Vector elements, Photoshop for color application and element compilation, and InDesign for the final layout files.
CONCEPT
Layout is created as a Vector in Illustrator and presented to Client along with the color palette for approval.
Antlers made of tiny leaves, branches and flowers of metal are the focus here. Title work is intertwined with the composition, ensuring a feeling of connectivity in the overall theme. Nestled in the crown are live dandelions, nettle, purple nettle, dandelion seeds and thistle. Among the flora is a unique apothecary bottle with a stopper made of natural crystals, and a mortar and pestle. Dandelion seeds are blowing around the composition and title letters.
COLOR PALETTE
Warm bronze for the metal antlers, with flecks of a warmer gold, perhaps touches of green oxidation. Various shades of green and yellow for the leaves. Lavender and dark violet for the purple nettle blooms. The composition 'pops' against a background of deep blue, textured and detailed lightly with grasses silhouetted in black.
AWARD WINNING DESIGN
The Briar Crown achieved the award of Bronze in fantasy book cover art design in SPFBO 2023.
The Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO) is an annual literary contest intended to bring greater visibility to self-published English-language fantasy authors.
PRAISE FROM THE CLIENT
"Not only is Angela’s work absolutely stunning, but she is an absolute pleasure to work with. She really takes the time to get to know what her clients want and checks in regularly to show progress. I feel like working with her is a real collaborative process and if I am unsure of a design element in my head, I have no qualms about asking for her professional advice. Her designs are beautiful and full of story and I cannot tell you the number of adoring comments my book has received purely because of its cover! I look forward to finishing the series with her and highly recommend her services." - Helen Rygh-Pedersen