I’ve been a very lucky author when it comes to my historical novel covers. The Whispers of War and The Light Over London before it both have incredibly beautiful covers. In the first of a two-part series of articles going behind the scenes of The Whispers of War, I had a chance to chat with the designer, Laywan Kwan, and ask about the process of putting a book cover together.
JK: Can you describe the process of creating the cover for The Whispers of War? Were you set on the idea of two women at the window looking out on a third, or were there alternative versions that you worked on?
LK: There were actually several alternate versions of this cover! From the beginning I knew we should have a total of 3 women on the cover, and that it should convey a historical sense. However, it came down to trying different combinations of women and settings and process of elimination.
JK: One of the things I love about the cover is that, while it isn’t a direct scene from the book, it evokes the mood of the story as well as the time and place it’s set in perfectly. Are there certain tricks of the trade that you use to create specific moods?
LK: Absolutely! In general, the color palette will have a great effect on the mood of a cover. For example: the darker the color is, the darker the mood. But other factors like body language, lighting, cropping, texture… it’s all used to create a mood for a cover!
JK: I know that imagery showing women with their backs turned to the reader has become a trend in historical fiction, but I think the cover of The Whispers of War feels very different even from the cover of my book The Light Over London, which also featured two women seen from behind. How do you keep covers feeling fresh even if they had nods to a current trend?
LK: I try to always have my eye on what’s going on in the design world – be it book covers, posters, product branding or even fashion. Everything that’s going on around us will always inform and change how we see things!
JK: How did you start working as a graphic designer who works on book covers?
LK: I actually didn’t have a direct path to this career. I always knew that I was a creative, but when I was in college, I thought that it translated to being an architect. It didn’t really work out when I went out into the working world, and so I changed paths – going back to school for graphic design. While I was getting my design degree, I knew I had a great interest in publishing. I was able to get an internship at a magazine, and luckily, some of my professors at the time were working in the publishing industry. I took a class in book cover design, one of the editors at the magazine introduced me to a great designer in the industry, and the rest is history!
JK: Do you have any advice for people who are interested in a similar career path?
LK: Read books, learn photoshop, and build a portfolio of things you love to design!
JK: And finally, I have to ask because so many people have asked me, any ideas of where the green dress on the cover is from? Everyone seems to want to get their hands on it—myself included!
LK: Honestly, I don’t know. It was part of a stock photo photoshoot!