Here's round two. These rough comps are both in the running for the final cover.
As mentioned previously, I was asked to approach this cover in a more conventional manner.

The luggage tag collage was thrown together pretty quickly and I only sent it at the last minute not really thinking it would make the cut. Should it go forward, I'd like to take the small hammer to it and tap things here and there a bit.

The airplane cover was based on an image the art director suggested I play with.

Another title change required another concept comp. The map and arrows wrap all the way around the cover. See "Where we Are" and "You Are Here" posts below for the full backstory.

Here's the super-condensed synopsis cribbed from Penguin's website: "...The settings, familiar and exotic alike, serve as mirrors of the characters' own displacement, reflecting not only their estrangement from others but also from themselves."





One of the stories in the collection tells of a trout that turns a village upside down. Given the title, I thought a close-up of the fish's skin created a nice tension.



Sadly, these covers didn't make it. They were a bit too edgy for the author and the audience. Honestly, this is the kind of feedback I like to get. Not only does the client know what they want but asking me to tone something down is far better than telling me something isn't edgy enough. I think, anyway.

The book Where We Are (see below) is now to be called You Are Here. My earlier concepts may still be in the running but, I sent this rough comp through this morning as I was asked if I could somehow focus on how our relationship with space dictates our design of urban landscapes.