Going Undercover // An Interview With Book Cover Illustrator and Designer, Jess Cruickshank

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been guilty of picking up a book because you thought the cover looked pretty.

Now keep your hand raised if you’ve ever thought to look up the name of the artist behind that same cover.

If you put your hand down, then don’t feel bad because you are in excellent company (and that excellent company would be me, hehe). For the longest time, I never thought to ask (or even think about) who worked so hard to produce my favorite book covers; I didn’t think to look at who was under the cover, but I hope to change all that with this blog series.

So grab some donuts (because every good stakeout needs donuts…in fact, now that I think about it, every good ANYTHING needs donuts) and join me as we channel our inner Sherlock Holmeses because today we are going undercover to discover more about book cover illustrators and designers.

The Interview

Let’s start off with something easy (or if you’re like me and struggle with introducing yourself – something difficult). Please tell me about yourself and how you broke into this industry.

Hiya! I’m an illustrator, letterer and sometimes-designer based in Sydney, Australia. I trained as a graphic designer, and originally worked in digital design and advertising before I found my true calling. I have been working independently on books and other projects since 2015, when I joined the Jacky Winter Illustration Agency.

I never thought I’d be getting paid to work on book covers. I love reading, and I worked in a book shop while I was at university. So every time a book cover brief lands in my inbox, it’s like a little dream come true.

Most of us readers know very little about how a book cover comes into existence. Can you explain to me a bit about what the process is like for you?

For me it goes like this: an art director at a publisher will contact me with a brief and sometimes a manuscript. The brief contains things such as a synopsis/overview of the book, mandatory details (i.e. the publisher’s logo, tagline, etc), visual references or covers of similar books, examples of work from my own folio, and a timeline.

The art director will usually have 3-4 basic concepts in mind. If there’s a manuscript, I’ll read it or do at least a thorough skim, and I take notes of any symbols or imagery that stands out. From here, I can start exploring potential ideas for the cover. After presenting my initial sketches, there’ll be a few rounds of revisions before I can produce the final front cover. If I’m being commissioned to design the full jacket, I will start on the spine and back cover once the front is locked in.

As the saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Who else do you usually work with on a book cover and what is it like?

Usually it’s an art director, another designer (if I’m only being asked to create lettering or an illustration), and a project manager from my agency. Sometimes there’ll be another illustrator too, if I’m being commissioned to create the design and lettering only.

As somebody who designs, illustrates, and contributes lettering to book covers, you must have an interesting perspective on the process. Can you tell me a bit about each role and how they differ from each other?

Often these roles blend into one! Usually I’m doing design + lettering, or lettering + illustration, or occasionally, design + illustration + lettering. Because I can do all three of these, they come as a package deal, I guess. I think art directors probably appreciate this, because it means that all the elements work seamlessly together. But this is definitely not the case with all book designers or illustrators!

When I’m designing a book (and creating the lettering), while another artist is creating the illustration, it’s usually because the art director is after a specific style that isn’t within my skill set.

I recently interviewed Maike Plenzke on my blog, and she mentioned that you did the terrific lettering on the Ottilie Colter cover. What was your experience like working on this project?

I loved working on this cover! Especially because the manuscript was so fun, and the illustration Maike created (which was finished before I joined the project) is so beautiful. There was just so much great imagery within the manuscript that I could pull out and incorporate into the design and lettering. I love working on fantasy books!

Do you usually read a book before you start working on its cover? If so, out of all the books you’ve worked on, which ones have you felt the strongest personal connection to?

Yes, I usually try to! Or at least, I try to thoroughly read the first few chapters, then skim the rest. I absolutely loved reading Amelia Westlake — I only meant to skim it but ended up sitting down and reading the whole thing.

I absolutely adore the Hungry Hearts cover. What was your inspiration for this piece?

Hungry Hearts is kind of a foodie magical realism adventure. I really wanted to bring out the magical aspect, which could be literal (as there are some fantasy elements in the book), or could just refer to the magic of creating and eating delicious food. I also wanted to bring out the richness and flavour of the interesting foods in the book — well, as much as you can do that visually on a flat page! I remember reading the first few pages and basically drooling over the food descriptions. The soup on the final front cover is Ash Reshte, which is a Persian dish mentioned in one of the stories.

Were there any early sketches or ideas for the Hungry Hearts cover that didn’t make it into the final version? Why didn’t they make it?

There were actually two other covers that almost made it to the final version but didn’t! If I remember correctly, one of them felt too young, and one felt a little too old. This isn’t a usual situation with my book projects, though!

Every artist has their own workflow. Could you share a little about yours? What are the major steps of your creative process?

The most important part of the process for me is research, research, research! This might be the part that I love the most, actually. For example, for Hungry Hearts I researched a lot of the different foods mentioned in the book, and by extension, the cultural contexts of when/why/how those foods are prepared and eaten. Another example is The Afterlife of Holly Chase. The book is a YA retelling of A Christmas Carol, so I did research about what books in the 1800s would have looked like. After the research is done, then it’s on to lots of sketching, with lots of breaks. If I’m stuck on a concept, the best cure is usually to sleep on it (or get out of the house and take my dog for a walk!)

How can members of the bookish community better support book cover artists and designers, such as yourself?

Buy the books and post them on Instagram ;) And make sure you credit us! I do love the book community on Instagram though. I’ve seen some beautiful flatlays of my work, and I appreciate the effort some people go to to take nice photos!

Jess Cruickshank lives in Sydney, Australia. While she once worked in advertising, she now draws and letters for a living! Some of her clients include: Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Airbnb, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian.

Her Website // Her Instagram

**All images in this post are included with the artist’s permission**