Cover
Author
Series
Format
Paperback, hardcover, and ebook. Typography, image, and finish considered together so the cover reads on a shelf and on a screen.
Artwork that still works at thumbnail size on Audible, Storytel, and Spotify, without losing the tension of the story inside.
Show movies and series covers built as a consistent visual system, recognisable in a crowded feed, week after week.
"Judge me by the cover" is a small studio of a solo designer who for the last five years worked as freelancer illustrator, designers and photographers for Audible, Inkitt, and other clients, designing covers for hundreds of audiobooks and movies across genres and languages. We're making it official now because it's what we love doing.
Reading manuscripts, talking to authors, and finding the single image that tells a reader this is the book. Every cover we make is made with care for the author and the book.
You tell us about the book, the audience, the constraints. We ask the questions nobody asks until round two.
We send three distinct concepts with a written rationale, then choose a direction together.
Two rounds of revisions included on the chosen direction. We refine typography, image, and finish in detail.
Every format you need, ready for print and for every platform you're publishing on.
Prices exclude VAT. For series, collections, or specific needs, send us a brief.
For an Essential tier cover we can go to four working days with a small rush fee; for Author we can compress to seven. Editorial work needs the full three to four weeks. Rushing that one never ends well.
Often, yes. When a concept calls for custom illustration or photography we commission collaborators we know well and art-direct them end to end. The commission fee is quoted separately, transparently.
Absolutely. If you have an archive, author portraits, or a licensed image, send it in the brief. We'll tell you honestly whether it carries the cover or needs to sit alongside other material.
You own the final artwork for the book, across every format and territory, in perpetuity. Third-party assets (stock, commissioned imagery) are licensed to you at the scope we agree in the brief.
Yes, it's some of our favourite work. Pepe Carvalho, Mondo9, Future Fiction, Sebald: we build a system the imprint can extend with us or keep going on their own.
We reply within 48 hours with first questions and a quote. No manuscript required yet.