The Challenge

Create a striking cover for an adult science-fantasy novel that feels futuristic, epic and mysterious, while standing out in a competitive genre.

The Solution

I created a high-impact, atmospheric photographic/illustrative cover built around the novel's central world: a vast futuristic city existing both above and below the protagonists. The inverted city creates an immediate sense of scale, mystery and disorientation, reflecting the unusual world-building and the complex relationship between the two realms.A vivid magenta and purple palette, atmospheric imagery and bold condensed typography create a cinematic, otherworldly feel.

The Result

The finished cover creates a striking, cinematic visual identity that immediately communicates science fiction, fantasy and an expansive imagined world. The unusual inverted-city composition gives the book a distinctive point of difference, while the bold colour palette and typography make it highly visible both as a physical book and at thumbnail size.

The result is a contemporary genre cover that captures the book's sense of mystery, scale and adventure while remaining commercially recognisable to its target audience.