Last month, we put out the call to creators in need of cover image makeovers. The response was fantastic, and the design team went through and decided who could use the most help and what projects they wanted to dip their toes in. We notified all of the applicants (one way or the other) and the designers got to work. The resulting images belong completely to the creators of the corresponding products, and they can do with them what so ever they please. That said, here are the results, original image on top, makeover underneath.
Savvy Brand Toolkit for Online Teachers by Kerstin Cable (née Hammes)
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“I tried to put together something for the creator that had a whimsical schoolyard feel but could still say "trust me on this” in a professional tone. Typography with rounder edges on top of an image of the daily necessities of a teaching professional did the trick quite well.“ — Alex
SFT30 beta programby Surfing Fitness Training
Note: Kathleen used Kyle T Webster’s photobrush brushes for this and many of her makeovers.
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"The creator of Surf Fitness Training wanted a simple cover with a limited color palette. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try out Kyle’s watercolor brushes.” — Kathleen
In the Footsteps of Fernando Gonzales by Mark Fletcher
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“Overall, I thought the original worked well. I just wanted to clean up the text and try out a new new background image from Death to the Stock Photo.” — Aaron
Superstring by Simplest Ways
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“I wanted to highlight some features on the main image rather than show screenshots of the software since you can have multiple cover photos now. I felt it would be more enticing.” — Aaron
The Clarinet GYM: Embouchure Development Guide by Mevonnie Biggins
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“A variation off the previous cover, this illustration depicts the subject a little more literally and with a more direct message.” — Emily
Analytics to Action by Tim Cigelske
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“Tim had been told that his previous cover looked like a powerpoint image, so I immediately knew I wanted to use photography to give a more drastic contrast. Some of the adjectives he used to describe what he wanted were “logical” and “fun”, so I explored ways to show analytics in action on top of photography.” — Kathleen
Creating animation in Synfig Studio by Synfig
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“I wanted to trying something totally different, and this is what we came up with. Thanks to Kathleen for helping me out with this one!” — Aaron
Get Projects Done by William Lacey
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“I felt like this cover was already quite good, so I just tried to tighten it up and make it even cleaner. I also felt that the iconography wasn’t consistent with what the product was trying to communicate and tried to use a more fitting one.” — Sahil
Standard Financial Model by Foresight
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“Financial data and keeping track of it isn’t immediately the most compelling thing in the world. Sometimes a subtle visual helps to tell the story and create some delight with numbers and stats.” — Emily
The Hooping Life
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“The Hooping Life is a bright and striking documentary about modern hula hooping culture. I wanted to create a cover that complimented that symbolically using playful patterns and bold & colorful typography.” — Alex
The Fundamental Swatch Set for Photoshop by Spencer Goldade
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“The Fundamental Swatch Set for Photoshop is, in itself, a pretty technical and literal product. I decided to have some fun with the idea of Photoshop and digital processes in regards to the cover’s illustration.” — Emily
DIY Video Production Guide by Caleb Wojcik
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“I was inspired by minimalist movie posters , and I tried doing something similar here. Something suuuper simple.” — Aaron
8-Week Running Challenge (Zero to 5K) - Get Fit and Finally Start to Enjoy Running by Mark Kennedy
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“I really liked the use of the illustration, but i don’t think it was very good at communicating the value of doing the challenge. I also wanted it to feel more real. So I used a real photo of what could be possible once you’re done with the product.” — Sahil
The Best International Student’s Guide to Scholarships by Student Services
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“I tried to whittle this down from stock photos to a simple and clever illustration that could be repurposed in other channels.” — Emily
Focus Reading Cards by Digital Reading Focus Card
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“I aimed to simplify, and I wanted to show the product in a browser view similarly to how you would use it on your computer.” — Aaron
Python Testing with unittest, nose, pytest by Brian Okken
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“The creator wanted it to feel approachable. Many of the covers he sent me as inspiration involved hand lettering.” — Kathleen
Freelance in 30 Days by Ben MatthewsImage may be NSFW.
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“Reading this book, and taking the first step towards being your own boss, is as simple as pressing a button. That’s what I’m trying to say with this cover.” — Alex
Sight Journal
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“Sight Journal was somewhat difficult, for lack of a better word—all of it is in Russian! Despite this, I chose to continue on their theme of simplicity by providing a more dramatic, illustrative visual.” — Emily
C# Programming by Patrick Washington
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“Patrick Washington has a consistent distressed aesthetic across all of his covers. This cover takes that same aesthetic and adds a layer of simplification and polish for a bolder, more confident feel.” — Alex
The Complete Guide to Pay What You Want Pricing by Tom Morkes
Note: Kathleen used the Nord Typefamily for this cover photo.
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“The creator wanted it to be “energetic and bold” while keeping a minimal look with contrasts of shades from the same color.” — Kathleen
El Toro - Various Artists by Cell Block Studio Records
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“This was the most challenging cover, albeit the most fun! Through pulling colors from the existing cover, desaturating them slightly, and combining them with a simple but enthusiastic block pattern, I was able to put together something I felt reflected the song and performers well.” — Alex
With Trembling… by Walla Recovery
Note: Kathleen used the Marziona font for this cover.
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“I wanted to explore how to bring their illustration cover to life.” — Kathleen
Rock and Roll with Ember.js (“Stairway To Heaven” package) by Balint Erdi
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“After our in-person conversation in Budapest, I took Balint’s existing visual style and based what I think he’d have liked to see. I wanted to make it a little cleaner and visually popping while staying true to the original design. Definitely outside of my super-flat-simple-boring design box.” — Sahil
This was a fun challenge for the design team, and a great way to stay sharp, so it’s something we might do again in the future. If the team was unable to make over your cover image, or if you’re looking for a makeover, here are some design resources you should check out:
- The Noun Project: Your go-to source for iconography.
- The Book Cover Archive: Be inspired by thousands of book covers.
- dafont.com: So many fonts. So very many fonts.
- Typography Collection: great fonts available on Gumroad.
- Flickr Creative Commons: Photos!
- Death to the Stock Photo: More photos!
We’re here to help. If you have any questions about cover images, check out our Help Center article on the subject, and reach out with any questions.