Published cover and book design for Azusa Pacific University’s Honors College Program.
Client: Azusa Pacific University (APU) Honors College
Team: Robert Ray Duke – Editor, Terry Dobson – Book Layout Direction, Tiffany Nakla & Co. – Photography Assets
Overview
I was commissioned by APU undergraduate seniors to design a book cover for their capstone project. At the same time, I worked with a team to format the inside matter for the current year’s Oxbridge publications, following branding standards for the cover template.
As the cover designer, I was tasked with concept development, project management, and ensuring the seniors’ and their editor’s copyedits and design feedback were implemented.
Client’s Vision & Inspiration
I was provided with photographed objects (representing each author’s chapter) that the authors wanted on the final cover. I started developing a concept around these photos with a moodboard I presented to the seniors. Inspired by the back cover blurb, we agreed on a concept that brought the past and present together on desert sands.
Color, Concept, & Type Explorations
To nod to the book’s theme of the past meeting the present, I created a chronological order of typographic collages to travel the cover.
A highlight of getting to know the authors and editors was the final reveal of their cover.
Interior Layout
Provided with photography of the objects, I thought it was only necessary to include them in each chapter as well. I edited the photos to appear “sketched,” as requested by the authors.
Putting the manuscript into a book layout required organizing parent pages and style sheets and finding an efficient method for inputting footnotes.
ISABELLE YU 