The Challenge

Create a cover for a supernatural horror novel that feels unsettling without becoming overly graphic, while capturing the story’s themes of a seemingly perfect family home hiding something much darker.

The Solution

I created an illustrative, typography-led cover centred around the house as the main character. The cutaway house and family silhouettes create an eerie, almost dollhouse-like quality, while the warm glow contrasts with the dark, distressed background. The hand-drawn Worry Box lettering adds a childlike yet unsettling feel, reinforcing the story’s hidden threat.

The Result

The brief was to create a cover for a supernatural horror novel about a sentient house. Rather than illustrating the story literally, I centred the concept around the Worry Box itself—the shoebox where Lailah writes her intrusive thoughts. The cover resembles a worn cardboard box, with childlike handwritten typography suggesting the disturbing thoughts hidden inside. Combined with the paper-cut family and ominous house, the design creates an unsettling sense of psychological horror while remaining contemporary and commercially appealing.