Client / Concept:
This was a professional book cover design project for romance author Jade Prentice, for her novel Picture This. The story blends themes of resilience, healing, and unexpected love in a small-town setting — and the goal was to create a visually cohesive and emotionally resonant cover that would appeal to romance readers and reflect the tone of the story.
Objective:
To design a contemporary romance book cover that would instantly convey genre, emotion, and character essence, while staying true to market trends and the author’s brand voice. The cover needed to evoke feelings of warmth, vulnerability, and country charm.
Design Process:
The design began with research into genre conventions for small-town and western-inspired romances. I curated a moodboard to explore feminine but grounded aesthetics, eventually leaning into a rustic pink palette to reflect softness and strength. I illustrated and layered visual elements like a country hat, microphone, acoustic guitar, and vintage camera — all key symbolic items from the story — and integrated them into a textured background using Photoshop. The title typography was hand-lettered and treated with a soft grain to match the overall aesthetic.
Outcome:
The final design was delivered as a full paperback wrap and eBook cover. It was praised for its emotional tone and commercial polish. The cover successfully connects with its audience and reflects both the character’s internal journey and the story’s southern charm.
Reflection:
This project deepened my understanding of emotional storytelling through design. I particularly loved combining texture, symbolism, and genre-specific cues to craft a cover that feels both market-ready and uniquely heartfelt.
Client / Concept:
This was a design and layout project for a dark romance novel requiring bespoke chapter openers. The goal was to create visually immersive, emotionally charged interior spreads that match the tone and tension of the story. Each chapter opener needed to evoke mood and character perspective while maintaining readability and high print standards.
Objective:
To elevate the reading experience through customized chapter designs that felt cinematic and moody, while maintaining clarity and flow within the book’s overall interior layout. The designs had to reflect two contrasting characters — Fallon and Brent — and their emotional worlds.
Design Process:
I designed these spreads in Adobe InDesign, combining photo manipulation techniques in Photoshop with stylized type composition. For Fallon’s chapter, I layered soft-focus florals, pearls, and shadows to reflect her fragile but dangerous world. Brent’s chapter was overlaid with smoky textures, embers, and a burning baseball glove to represent intensity and inner conflict. I carefully adjusted opacity, blend modes, and contrast to maintain text legibility while creating a rich visual environment. Typography choices were selected for elegance and clarity, contrasting script and serif fonts to reflect tone and hierarchy.
Outcome:
The final interior pages were exported in print-ready format and integrated into the author's manuscript. These chapter designs provided a distinctive touch that set the book apart, and feedback from both the client and early readers highlighted the immersive visual storytelling as a highlight of the reading experience.
Reflection:
This project deepened my technical skills in layout, typesetting, and atmospheric visual design. I loved the challenge of telling a story not just through words, but through texture, imagery, and careful design decisions that evoke emotion from the very first page.
Client / Concept:
This was a commissioned design for romance author T. Straatman, created as part of a bookish merchandise collection to promote her novel featuring the character Kinsley Fallon. The brief called for a bold and sultry design that captured the intensity and forbidden allure of the book’s central romance.
Objective:
To design an eye-catching, quote-based bookmark that reflects the dark romance genre, while maintaining a high-end, collectible look that would appeal to fans and readers. The tone needed to be edgy, emotional, and visually dramatic.
Design Process:
The design process began with extracting a powerful quote from the novel that encapsulated the tension and obsession central to the story. I layered deep purples and inky blacks to create a moody, atmospheric background, then added subtle abstract overlays to mimic the complexity of the characters’ relationship. Delicate florals and glass shards were added to contrast fragility and danger. Typography was carefully styled — mixing a handwritten script with bold sans serif to emphasize the duality of romance and ruin. I created both left- and right-threaded mockups for product diversity.
Outcome:
The final design was printed on high-quality matte cardstock and produced with two different tassel colours to increase buyer appeal. It was used as part of the book’s launch campaign and received strong engagement from readers, with many sharing it on social media.
Reflection:
This project allowed me to explore dark romantic aesthetics and balance strong visual impact with genre-specific elegance. I enjoyed the process of turning written emotion into tangible, collectable design and further developed my print production and merchandise design skills.
Client / Concept:
This project was a branding and promotional design for author M.L. Jewell, who required a roll-up event banner for in-person book signings, conventions, and expos. The client’s goal was to present a cohesive, visually impactful brand that would attract passersby and make her booth instantly recognisable.
Objective:
To design a banner that showcases M.L. Jewell’s name, social presence, and author website in a clean, elegant, and brand-consistent way. The design needed to reflect the author's personality — whimsical, romantic, and a little magical — while remaining readable from a distance and effective in high-traffic environments.
Design Process:
The design began with refining the author’s visual brand assets. I used Illustrator to create custom floral line illustrations and incorporated a hand-drawn portrait of the author (provided) as a central focal point. The layout was carefully structured with a strong typographic hierarchy — placing emphasis on the author’s name and social handles. The colour palette, a soft navy and cream contrast, was chosen for approachability and sophistication. Curved shapes at the top and bottom subtly mirror book pages and waves, adding visual interest without detracting from the information.
Outcome:
The banner was printed in high resolution and used at a range of author events across Australia. The client reported increased engagement at her booth, and the design became a key visual across other branded materials including bookmarks, stickers, and her website.
Reflection:
This project taught me the importance of spatial awareness and balance in large-format print design. I particularly enjoyed aligning branding elements into a compact, eye-catching layout that serves both promotional and aesthetic purposes.
Client / Concept:
This custom illustrated map was designed for a fictional town called Shadow Peaks, created for an author’s upcoming book series. The map was intended to serve both as a visual reference for readers and as a unique piece of promotional material — available in print, digital format, and merch like bookmarks or posters.
Objective:
To create a whimsical and charming illustrated town map that represents key locations within the fictional world of Shadow Peaks. Each building needed to be distinct, reflect the town’s cozy but quirky personality, and contribute to a cohesive aesthetic that would appeal to readers of small-town romance and cozy fiction.
Design Process:
The map was illustrated using Procreate on iPad with a soft pastel palette to reflect warmth and friendliness. I designed each building from scratch to reflect its purpose — from the playful curves of “Dam Good Coffee” to the gothic touch of “Beaver Tales.” Streets and trees were added to provide a sense of flow and neighborhood structure. Attention was given to balance and spatial readability so that the map could be both decorative and functional. Labels were hand-placed for clarity, and decorative foliage was used to tie the map together visually.
Outcome:
The final map was delivered in high-resolution formats for web and print, and will be used as a front matter illustration in the book, as well as repurposed for fan merchandise. It’s also been a hit on social media, engaging readers and building excitement for the fictional town before the book’s release.
Reflection:
This was one of my favorite passion-meets-profession projects. It allowed me to combine storytelling, illustration, and layout design in one. It also deepened my confidence in world-building through visuals and delivering multi-purpose design assets for authors.
Client / Concept:
Plot & Petals is a professional service brand created to support authors with public relations (PR), personal assistance (PA), and promotional campaigns. The business blends creative strategy with heartfelt support, helping authors grow their audience and elevate their visibility in the book community. The brand name reflects a dual purpose — storytelling (plot) and nurturing growth (petals).
Objective:
To design a memorable, author-friendly logo that communicates warmth, creativity, and strategic storytelling. The client wanted a look that felt approachable and community-centered while remaining polished and professional enough to appeal to authors across genres.
Design Process:
The logo was created using Adobe Illustrator, with a custom wordmark that emphasizes soft curves and storytelling flair. The looping “P” and “t” mimic a ribbon or handwritten flourish — evoking a personal touch. A daisy-like flower was used to replace the “o” in “Plot,” reinforcing the brand’s nurturing, creative nature. The deep olive green color adds a grounded, trustworthy feel while nodding to organic growth. While early concepts included a blush background, the final logo was designed to work cleanly on both light and dark backgrounds for full versatility across platforms.
Outcome:
The logo will be used across digital touchpoints (social media, website, email headers) and in print for business cards, author kits, and trade show displays. Its charm, clarity, and custom elements give the brand a recognizable identity in the author services space.
Reflection:
This project was a joy to bring to life — it allowed me to merge branding strategy with playful, intentional design. I especially enjoyed exploring typographic storytelling and making sure every flourish had meaning behind it.
Client / Concept:
This was a web design concept for the Elektrik Eel Festival, a fictional three-day music event celebrating underground electronic music across Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. The festival brand needed a high-energy, neon-glow aesthetic that matched the pulse of the music and the immersive live experience.
Objective:
To design a bold, scrollable landing page that communicates festival energy, ticket details, artist lineup, and music genres in a fast, impactful way. The layout had to be easy to navigate while visually capturing the feel of late-night warehouse parties and electronic subcultures.
Design Process:
I created the concept using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, pairing glitchy neon typography with high-contrast black backgrounds and electric cyan/pink highlights. The layout follows a vertical scroll format with strong section breaks — starting with key festival info, dates, and locations, followed by artist highlights, genre blocks, and ticketing details. Emphasis was placed on hierarchy and call-to-actions, using repeated banners and “Buy Tickets” buttons to encourage engagement.
Key design elements included:
Custom typography styling for the logo and headings
Grunge overlays and photo effects to enhance the underground vibe
Artist cards and genre tiles for organized, scannable content
A fully mobile-responsive concept with ticket CTA buttons placed strategically throughout
Outcome:
The concept was developed as part of a larger branding assessment for web and digital environments. It demonstrates the ability to design high-impact visual interfaces that are both immersive and user-friendly.
Reflection:
This project pushed me to think about digital rhythm — how visuals, color, and typography can create movement and emotion without animation. I loved developing a visual system that felt alive, energetic, and totally on-brand for electronic music culture.