I wanted the design to feel odd, macabre and slightly unsettling, in keeping with the theme and the publisher. I researched Gyotaku, the traditional Japanese technique of printing directly from a fish using ink, and felt it suited the idea of an "imposter" well, as the print is essentially a copy of the real thing.
I also looked at Black Shuck Books' existing covers to understand their style, noting that they tend to favour restraint and atmosphere over anything too graphic.
After a discussion with a local Fishmonger, I sourced a John Dory due to its size and fin interest, and created the prints myself, inking the fish by hand and pressing it onto mulberry paper. I then painted the title using sumi-e ink and a calligraphy brush, so the wordmark felt as hand-made as the prints themselves.
I tried a few different layouts before settling on the final cover. The final version uses a vertical title with a faded, mirrored fish print behind it, and the spine repeats the same lettering.
For the back cover, I wrote my own blurb and used the back of the fish to tie to the front. I also designed an Instagram story to promote the fictional release, reusing the same tagline and wordmark from the cover, emulating the feeling of going 'under the waves' with the title jumping out at you.
