Dust Cover

This is dust cover I designed for a book called The History of Piracy, by Robert M. Simonton. (Both the book and the author are conceptual)

I decided to use a serif font that was appropriate for a “historical” aesthetic, and I chose an antique gold as the color for most of the main typography to evoke the idea of treasure/valuables. The illustration on the front cover is a reference to the famous Jolly Roger flag that is associated with pirates, with the author’s name carved into the skull. There are also subtle illustrations of octopus tentacles in the background to add texture and include a more explicitly nautical element.