Studio concept, fiction
The Salt Garden
A literary fiction concept in a single soft gradient
The brief
What the concept set out to do
Create a quiet, elegant cover for a literary novel set on a coast. No figures, no photography. The design should feel like the book is already a modern classic.
Approach
Design decisions
- A pale green gradient and three slow wave lines carry the setting with almost nothing on the page.
- A high-contrast serif title in deep green gives the cover its weight; the italic author name below balances it.
- The restraint is deliberate: literary readers are suspicious of covers that shout.
- The same wave motif continues as the chapter opening ornament in the interior, so cover and inside feel like one object.
What it demonstrates
How cover and interior design can share a visual language, which is what makes a self-published book feel professionally made.
Deliverables shown in this concept
- Front cover concept
- Matching chapter opening ornament
- Typeset sample chapter
Books A Nation's contribution to a studio concept is the whole design: concept, typography and artwork. For client books, our contribution is stated on each project only once the author has confirmed it.
Want this approach on your own book?
Our interior formatting and typesetting service starts with a brief like the one above and ends with files you own.
Related reading: Print and ebook formatting checklist
