Book Cover: The GSU First-Year Guide to Writing

Project Overview:
Book cover design

Industry:
Higher education

Goals:
Georgia State University needed a new design for their sixth-edition writing book. Published in 2017, the goal was to showcase creativity while maintaining a flair of Georgia State.

Illustrative Approach

The book cover design is based off of an image I captured of the Georgia State University’s “Good Luck Panther” statue. The panther is the mascot of the university, and the life-size statue is a popular place for photoshoots. Students are encouraged to touch the panther’s nose for a successful academic year.

With the statue being such a staple in the college, I chose to include the panther front and center.

Each line in the fluid illustration represents different students coming together for the same purpose of obtaining a valuable higher education. Different stroke colors, thicknesses, and angles are used to reinforce the message and show diversity within the university.

Photography

To get a solid understanding for the design, I visited the statue and captured photographs from every angle. After reviewing my photos, I chose the below to act as the reference for the book cover.