Watermelon Disco

Author King Kenney came to me with the challenge of designing and producing his newest novel, an intense short story encapsulating themes of abuse, trauma, and escapism, all while referencing the mysterious story of 1920s American child prodigy novelist Barbara Follet.

On the cover and interior, I use typefaces referencing news paper type of the 20s. The cover is a canvas of red oil pastels violently scribbled by hand and scanned to obtain a deeper texture - hinting towards the chaotic, paper-scribbling breakdown of a climax seen in the novel.

<<INSIGHT>>

The interior of the novel is typeset in Garamond and Baskerville, popular typefaces in the first part of the 20th century, again referencing the time period of the story that ultimately inspired this book.

<<INSIGHT>>

On the cover, the use of a large, almost alarmist typeface references newspaper headlines in which the story of Follet's disappearance may have been seen in her time. The margins and leading leave little room to breathe, mirroring the main character Nico's figurative and literal confinement to a hellish home life.

This is all set against a canvas of deep red oil pastels violently scribbled by hand and scanned to obtain a deeper texture - hinting towards the chaotic, paper-scribbling breakdown of a climax seen in the novel.

INDESIGN

ILLUSTRATOR

PHYSICAL MEDIA

Book Trailer // Book Cover Design // Internal Typesetting

Book Trailer // Book Cover Design
Internal Typesetting

The Harder I Faux

The Harder
I Faux

INDESIGN ∙ ILLUSTRATOR ∙ SUPER 8 FILM ∙ PREMIERE PRO

For this novel, in addition to cover design and typesetting, author King Kenney also came to me for a trailer reminiscent of the book trailers popular in the early 2000s but with a 1970s Blaxploitation film twist.

To achieve this 70's aesthetic, I shot the trailer with Super 8 film on a vintage camera appropriate to the time period. Each item seen represents one of the short stories within the book, hinting towards the journey the reader will experience. Scored by Stanton Davis' Ghetto/Mysticism's intense and mysterious "Play Sleep," the trailer beckons the audience's curiosity as to what stories lie within the pages of this novel.

To achieve this 70's aesthetic, I shot the trailer with Super 8 film on a vintage camera appropriate to the time period. Each items seen represents one of the short stories within the book, hinting towards the journey the reader will experience. Scored by Stanton Davis' Ghetto/Mysticism's intense and mysterious "Play Sleep," the trailer beckons the audience's curiosity as to what stories lie within the pages of this novel.