A Novel Cover Up is a semi-regular feature that looks at how covers are made. Thanks to David Fickling Books, I have been fortunate enough to interview Freelance Art Director/Designer Ness Wood and Illustrator/Designer Alice Todd about how they designed the cover for The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson. Other than the cover, all images in this post are copyrighted to Alice Todd and used with permission, and can be clicked to enlarge.
Can you tell us about the cover for The Art of Being Normal? What do you hope it tells readers about the story?Ness Wood: It is a very well written book about identity and fitting in – finding your own place in the world.
Alice Todd: The cover addresses the key theme of the story, the issue of transgender. It expresses how one can feel trapped not only in one’s own body, but also social conventions and norms. I wanted the cover to express the characters journey of self expression through the issues of gender and identity.
The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson (proof/reading copy) - Two boys. Two secrets.
