Book Cover Redesign: 'The Gamerunners'

This month, Michelle Argyle at Melissa Williams Design reimagines the cover of The Gamerunners by Barnaby Quirk.

Design Note #1: It was important to the author to use the 3D-created image, but it felt too juvenile to use it as the sole image, so I superimposed the boy, as well as a colorful, digital background to bring it all together.

Design Note #2: Using a slightly slanted font that looks futuristic helps bring a more exciting, gaming feel to the cover.

Design Note #3: While the original cover is quite nice, it misses the mark for appealing to middle grade readers, so I decided to use bright, bold colors and a clearer image of a tween rather than the nondescript person of the original.

Design Note #4: This new design is intentionally busy in order to make it feel like a game, so it’s important to make the title stand out by keeping it plain white with non- obtrusive drop-shadowing underneath.

To submit a book for a free cover redesign, email us at booklifeeditor@booklife.com.