Anatomy of a cover: Epsilon

I made the announcement last week that Epsilon would finally make a long overdue step into print publication. While I appreciated the original cover for the book, it was designed with specifications for the web in mind rather than print. The design of the graphical elements, no matter how simple, would have needed a complete recreation for a print version. So I decided to start anew.

I’ve long been an admirer of the “Marber grid.” Created for Penguin by Polish-born Romek Marber in the early sixties, it became the look of hundreds of books published in Britain in the 60s and early 70s. A modified version was used for their science fiction titles. It was often a simple layout with a single image or icon to frame it.

It seemed perfect for Epsilon.

I started out with the plan to once again integrate the Greek letter epsilon (ε) into the cover design. I went over a few different variations of the letter which would eventually evolve into the modern E. That would form the main focus on the cover. I went with a simple blue as a nod to the original cover of the book.

From there, I set out to design a simple text title piece for the cover, one which like the covers above integrated the author's name with the title. I decided to throw a line through it to break up the simple sans serif font.

I felt the epsilon symbol wasn’t quite enough to bring the cover complete together. It left just a little too much open space against the black background. The cover needed just a little something more. Without giving too much about the novel away, I wanted something to represent the malevolence of the novel’s mystery villain.

I turned to the incredibly useful free use image site Unsplash. I had already bookmarked an excellent image of a less than happy close-up of an eye by the photographer Peter Forster. I immediately realized I could integrate it into the design with little trouble.

The final result is a uniquely interesting combination of photography and graphic design that I’m proud to share with you below.

Epsilon comes to print in June! Stay tuned for more news on the release soon!