Hum: Book Design and Illustration

A vintage-inspired design system for a speculative science-fiction novel.

Hum is a speculative science-fiction novel that takes place in a dystopian near future where all technology is permanently disabled by a planet-saving mission that unexpectedly went horribly wrong. The book follows a young protagonist named James as he explores a transformed America and makes peace with his father’s hand in the global disaster. 
Complete Hum dust jacket layout with author flap, back cover, spine, front cover, and synopsis flap.
Complete illustrated dust jacket layout for Hum.

Problem Statement 

As a new title in the science fiction space, the novel needed a cover design that would appeal to the target audience as well as typesetting and layout for the book. 

Process

I began by exploring vintage science fiction book covers and using mood boards to drive my design decisions. I studied the processes behind some of the genre’s most iconic book designs.
Work-in-progress colored-pencil sketch for the Hum book cover on a drawing board.
The Hum cover illustration during the colored-pencil drawing process.
Finished colored-pencil Hum cover artwork with a glowing moon and sweeping red, blue, and green forms.
Final hand-drawn cover illustration for Hum.

Results 

I created a vintage-style science-fiction cover illustration for the paperback edition and dust jacket, as well as a single-color hardcover design and several typesetting examples.
Open Hum book showing the prologue title page and interior typography.
Prologue typography and interior page layout for Hum.
Open Hum book showing the Chapter 1 title page and interior typography.
Chapter 1 typography and interior page layout for Hum.

Hum science-fiction book cover and dust jacket displayed across hardcover mockups.
Final Hum hardcover and illustrated dust jacket presentation.
Hum illustrated front cover, spine, and back cover displayed as a book wrap mockup.
Illustrated wraparound cover design for Hum.