If you’re self-publishing and don’t have a design background, it would be a great investment and headache-saver to hire a professional. If you are a designer, it’s probably best to have another designer take a whack at it if you can afford to hire one. But if you’re like me, you’ll take this cover thing very seriously (as you should) and you’ll try to overcome all obstacles and do it yourself. What makes this task especially difficult is you, the author and now designer, cannot possibly remove yourself from the project. You are emotionally invested in the work, and looking at a cover objectively for something you feel so deeply about is going to be a problem. I didn’t take the advice I just dispensed to you–I did it myself.

Here’s what I decided. Rather than focus on the entire story (the novel is over 179,000 words), I talked to my initial readers, those select few I trusted more than anyone, and asked for them to describe the novel in a few words. I knew that each person would come up with a different selection, but hoped that there would be some consistencies.

The results, as I expected, were somewhat varied, but there were trends. Here are some of the words my readers used to describe Jaden Baker: intense, suspenseful, fast-moving, clever, witty, dark, intriguing, different, hopeful, romantic. Some of those words are opposites of each other: dark and hopeful being an example. Lots of books out there are romantic, many are suspenseful. Few books are classified as “different” and even fewer as “intriguing.” But the word everyone used, and still do, is “intense.”

Different, intriguing, intense. Those were my words. Great, next step?

Who is the novel’s target audience? A book cover is like any other design project. A novel is a product and must appeal to a certain type of person. Now that I had the right words to describe the story, I could better narrow down who the story was for. The content of the novel is solidly in the PG-13 to R rated category for intense violence and foul language, ruling out younger audiences. Since the main character is male, and the story doesn’t involve romantic sexual situations, but instead focuses on the protagonist and antagonist duking it out with mental warfare, the readership can crossover into both genders. Categorized as intense and suspenseful, and part of the psychological thriller genre, readers of Jaden Baker would also be fans of Dean Koontz and Stephen King, and would likely enjoy other types of thrillers, legal, political, and action.

The next step was research. Covers try to appeal to their readership, and now that I knew who would read my book, I could look at the covers of books they’d already read. Books in the action and thriller genre had large, bold type work, and simple to minimalistic icons or graphics on the front. Political thrillers and military book covers were shiny, and often had raised, embossed, and sometimes more illustrative colors and graphics. Since my novel was neither political nor militaristic, I shunned those covers.

Through browsing online and milling about bookstores, I noticed something: the majority of book covers were splashed with color. Lots of color. Yellow, red, black, blue, green. Colors, colors everywhere, not a white book to be found. Hmmm…

Conventional wisdom had dictated to book cover designers the need to use a lot of color. To be fair, since the advent of online book shopping, colored covers display much better than a white cover. But that didn’t matter to me. After seeing so much color everywhere, I decided to ditch it and go with black and white.

A black and white color scheme would also fit with the content of my book as well as the word choice my readers had picked out: different, intriguing, intense. Diagonal lines do a nice job of illustrating movement, action, and are often used by movie directors (like Alfred Hitchcock) to illicit suspense and nervousness in the audience. Below are some of the cover drafts I came up with.

None tickled my fancy.

The Archcroft logo, cited in the novel and tattooed onto Jaden himself, had the diagonal lines and the black and white I wanted. But the logo alone meant nothing unless you’d read the book. So I killed that idea.

Since I wanted to use just black and white, I thought about the barcode, which is an identifying symbol, and identity is also a theme of the novel, specifically how to keep control of it. The barcode is also part of Jaden’s tattoo, but its vertical lines convey something else: prison and confinement. I was onto something now. After deciding to go with the barcode, I then played with its placement on the cover, and the title within it.

I went with Orator STD for the font of “JADEN BAKER” and my name way below it. Orator STD isn’t an overly used font, unlike Trajan Pro or Helvetica, and it has a science fiction quality to it. The font isn’t boastful but understated, just different enough from every day fonts, as if its trying to go unnoticed and pass of as something else–like Jaden. The final cover design is below:

Since the title of the book is the protagonist’s name, I didn’t want anyone to confuse it for mine. I placed “a novel” below the ER of the title for clarification. The type isn’t black but gray, with a slight tint of blue, alluding to the color of Jaden’s eyes.

Set in a stack, or pushed between a King or Koontz book (I never thought I’d like my name of Kirchoff until I realized what prime real estate that is!), Jaden Baker will stand out, not for its brighter color, but its lack thereof.

My final test for the cover was asking myself if it matched the words: different? Check. Intriguing? Check. Intense? Hmmm… I guess I’ll leave that up to you.

Jaden Baker (click to read the first four chapters) is available for purchase as a soft-backed book and an ebook from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, select local bookstores, and many other online book retailers.

Red is a warm color, sure, but something about it cast in ceramic really tugs at me. Here’s hoping I may one day have this “Sardine” model of Navigator stove aboard the S/V Libby.

Read a similar post on courtneykirchoff.com.

So let’s get cracking.

Why Should You Hire Me?

To be perfectly blunt about it, I’m good at what I do. My strength is in web design, and I’m able to build websites using HTML and CSS, both static and with WordPress. Knowing how to code is beneficial when designing a site, as I know what will work within a browser, and what’s just a pipe dream. Everyone works on different computing platforms, within different browsers, and varying screen resolutions. Web, unlike print, is more of an organic being, taking on a life of its own. A web designer who also knows how a website works, can make websites look and perform their best across the internet spectrum.

Logo creation and branding solutions are challenging. A logo should be a simple and memorable graphic which will convey a company or organization’s most basic idea, and will one day be the keystone to building the brand’s reputation. That’s a lot of responsibility for one little graphic. Logos take a great deal of initial research and preparation, and requires me, the designer, to really dig deep into the client I’m trying to visually represent to their customer-base. Where a web design can take an afternoon to mockup, a logo might take me days to fully conceptualize.

Presentation folder. Client: AMS

The world of printing is pretty foreign to me. Don’t get me wrong, I know the basics and can design a business card, flyer, presentation folder, poster and what have you, but I’m more experienced with working with the web than I am talking with a printer. I know about die-cuts, bleeds, the difference between CMYK, RGB, and Pantone coloring, the importance of having at least 300 dpi (and the more the better), and how much easier it is to deal within existing paper sizes. But anything more than that and I get a little lost, and find myself running to Google to try and figure things out, then learn about the terms and practices that make my forehead wrinkle.

Less is more. I mean that in a couple of ways: firstly, in design often times the simplest solution is the best one. That typically means that the design process requires lots of adding and subtracting of elements. Sometimes it takes seeing too much to realize that a project works better with less. Secondly, less work interference produces better results. I work best independently, after getting the answers to questions needed to start work on a new project. Collaboration is great every now and then, and fellow designer feedback and impressions can be helpful. Generally speaking though, this designer works best on her own. Why is that good for you? Give me an assignment, let me ask my initial questions, and I’m good to go!

Why Shouldn’t You Hire Me?

Hey, things don’t always work out, right? Some people work better with others, so it’s entirely possible that I wouldn’t be a good fit for you. If your office environment is chaotic (not to be confused with vibrant), with excessive noise, constant meetings (think Michael Scott from The Office), or requires a lot of travel, then you should hire someone else. As I point out in the above section, I’m a self-motivated person, one who works best independently. I can better serve a client or organization when given minimal supervision and allowed to focus on the task assigned to me, instead of juggling my duties with daily meeting attendance.

Graphic design is not art, therefore it is not subjective. Design is communicating an idea in a visual way. It’s my sincere desire to communicate my client’s idea, mission, goal, what have you, as best I can. I have always strived to educate a client on the reasons for my design decisions, explaining why each element is placed where it is, the reasoning behind color selection, element size, and so forth. Before designing a logo, website, or other branding collateral, I always ask the client what their end goal is for their specific project. I gladly accept feedback on a design, but do not always implement client change requests. Why? Design isn’t subjective, and the client isn’t always right. Is that a scandalous thing to say? I don’t think so, but if you want a designer who does your bidding without question, then I wouldn’t be a good fit for you. You wouldn’t tell an accountant or lawyer how to do their job, you’d expect them to be an expert in their field, which is why you hired them in the first place. The same applies to a graphic designer. Do I know absolutely everything about graphic design? Heck no! If there’s a good reason to make a change to a design, or a client has a concern about something, then I’m happy to address it. But I’m not going to “make the logo bigger” just because a client demands it. I ask why should it be bigger? It’s my job to solve a problem in a visual way, and a client’s job to tell me what the problem is.

Common Interview Questions Answered

What do you consider to be your greatest weakness?

This is a common interview question, and I thought I’d just go ahead and answer it here. Honestly I’m not sure what answer an interviewer is looking for, but usually interviewees take this question and try to turn it around to show a weakness as a strength. Not me. I’m human, so I have many weaknesses, and though I’m not sure what my greatest weakness is, I can give you one: I’m impatient. Yep, I’m admitting to being impatient! I’m also honest, but I think that’s pretty evident in this post. How does my impatience affect my job performance? It usually doesn’t. When I get frustrated I try to remove myself from the situation and work it out on my own. My impatience is my problem and I don’t want to impose it on others. When I can’t remove myself from the situation, as sometimes happens, I take a moment of silence and pause before responding. This typically happens when trying to explain something to a client who may not want to hear my response to a question, or is telling me I’m wrong and how to do my job (see paragraph above). I take some solace in knowing this is a rampant issue in the design world, then try to move on. I’m also an exercise junkie, so most of my frustrations get worked out while I’m working out.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

In my fantasy world, which is where I hope to be in five years, I’m a successful novelist, perhaps an international bestseller, and I rub elbows with J.K. Rowling, have David Fincher (who has directed the film adaptation of my novel) on speed dial, and have waterfront property, where I’ve built my own cob house, and I have a dock out on the water, where I keep Libby, my sailboat. Of course I also have a beautiful and loving family, multiple shelties, and more happiness than I know what to do with. That’s where I see myself in five years.

In my non-fantasy world, which is what you want most likely want to know about, I’m working on projects I enjoy, projects that are engaging and fulfilling, all while I’m able to pay for certain luxuries like eating and paying my car insurance.

Why do you want to work for _______ company/organization?

I left that blank because, to be honest, I applied to many different companies and organizations: I want to make a living. I’ve grown accustomed to having certain things in my life, including but not limited to: three meals a day plus the occasional snack, my morning coffee, gasoline in my tank, warm clothes, and sleeping someplace dry. I’d like to keep those things, and perhaps have the occasional splurge like treating friends to a cup of coffee (I love that caffeine stuff), repairing my car when it needs a repair (I drive a ’94 Honda del Sol), and getting a few ebooks a month. It’s tough out there, and I need work to live. We all do. Why did I apply to your specific company or organization? Because I really do think I’d make a good employee for you, because I love design, and can give you a great product. Believe it or not, I didn’t apply everywhere. Like you, I’m able to weed out what would make a good fit and what wouldn’t.

A Little More about Me

If you’ve read this far, I’m going to assume you’re a little curious. So let me give you some quick facts and stories about me. Who knows, maybe we have something in common. It is, as they say, a small world.

I Live on a Sailboat

Yep indeed, I’m a liveaboard. I just moved aboard my boat, and did so for a few reasons: adventure, mobility, and finances. It’s a heck of a lot cheaper to live aboard a boat, mainly because it’s such a small space and I have less stuff. Libby is a 30 foot 1972 Islander MK II. If you think living aboard a boat could be nifty, or you also love boats, you can read more about my sailing adventures here.

Sailing home from a day adventure to Seattle.

Call me Hermione

A handful of people have affectionately referred to me as “Hermione.” It first happened when I was in college. My two friends, both guys, and I were playing pool, and I broke into song (can’t remember why or what song). I’d recently taken both of them to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and somehow me singing (I’m a soprano) caused both of them to say I was just like Hermione Granger. At fist I was offended: Hermione is bossy and sometimes obnoxious. But then Kevin and Craig made me feel better by saying Hermione was good at many things, and her two best friends were also boys, just like mine. Other friends of mine have pointed out that, whatever the conversation at hand, I always have some fact to give. I guess being christened Hermione is better than Cliff Claven. I’m aware that I can sometimes be a know-it-all, and do my utmost to control it.

Tally-Ho!

Dante and I at a hunter pace.

I used to be a fox-hunter. Yep, you read that right. When I lived in California, I hunted for two seasons. Most people’s experience with fox-hunting is limited to that animated clip in Mary Poppins. That’s a pretty accurate representation! Fox-hunters are some serious equestrians, and I’m proud to count myself among them. Galloping over the beautiful countryside, the wind howling in my ears, jumping three foot fences, all for the chase, was a grand adventure, and I so hope I’m able to hunt again.

My Greatest Accomplishment

In March of 2011, I reached a milestone. After seven years of work, I finally published my novel Jaden Baker a psychological thriller. Four of the seven years were spent struggling, trying to figure out how the novel would end (a huge frustration). Once I solved that problem, two years were spent wondering how I’d start the novel. In June of 2010, I had an Aha! moment, and wrote the entire story in a few months, publishing it one year later. Jaden Baker is my 179,000 word pride and joy.

The Old One-Two

Since February of 2011, I’ve been regularly attending a kickboxing class. Why am I sharing this with possible employers? If I work for you, don’t be surprised if during my lunch break I go outside for a quick walk, drop down and pump one-armed pushups, or try to get coworkers to do some sit-ups with me during a break. Exercise is nature’s prozac, and I love it!

Well?

If you’d like to interview me for real, or you want to ask me specific project questions before formally meeting me, please contact me. Be sure to check out my portfolio to see some of my work!

A cob house is a small piece of beauty, carefully crafted out of clay, straw, and sand, sometimes taking a year or more of construction, but finishing off into a residential gem. What does cob house have to do with design? Imagine being able to come home or even work in such a cozy and inspiring place. What kinds of ideas would you have if you got to live in such a home? Think about how fun the mundane would become, if you could just sit and sip coffee in a living room with designs carved into the wall.

Go on, have a look:

This has to be the cutest house ever. Just look at it! How much fun would it be to come home to this little gem?

Now that Christmas is coming, I just think of how adorable this home would be, decked out in gold lights. Right now I live on a sailboat, but I think I’d love to live in a cob house in the future, nestled in with a family, baking cupcakes for Christmas.

Cob houses don't fit a mold or expectation. They can be whatever you want. Look at the curves and the colors.

The over-used expression “Thinking outside the box,” was probably tossed around a lot when building this home. The curves and colors are out of a fairytale.

Because the walls are so thick, cob homes are well insulated and stay nice and warm.

Who says you have to have a pitched roof? The rolling rooftop conveys playfulness and fantasy.

Square doors? Why?

When you get away from a square frame and a rectangular door, the mind is forced to be creative. What results is something like the doorway above. The owners of his home are greeted with creativity before even walking inside their home. And guests can’t help but feel delighted while wiping their feet.

This home reminds me of the older European cob houses. I love that fireplace.

We live in a modern world with a ton of gadgets. And hey, I like that about our world. Communication is instantaneous. But there’s no rule that says everything has to be spiffy and new. It would be fun to just kick back and relax on this couch while reading a book (on your Kindle, Nook, or iPad), and playing music (Bach anyone?) while the fire warms this rustic room.

If my kitchen looked like this, I might cook. Or bake. Or just chill out just because.

And here is where my fabled baking would commence. In a kitchen like this, how could I not bake? I think I’d make friends who’d just want to come over and spend time in my kitchen.

A bathtube! How neat is this?

I love my boat and living inside it, but I do miss the occasional bath. Though if I had this bathroom setup, it might be hard for me to pull away from the tub, especially if I built a fireplace in the same room. So warm!

I'm betting that the owner of this house has lots of visitors. Who wouldn't want to hang out in this place?

Wood, wood, wood galore. It’s such a gorgeous room, it would be impossible not to just sit around and stare.

I love the wood ceiling and floor. So warm and cozy.

This fireplace area would be perfect for a cob house in the Pacific Northwest.

Windows of different sizes, yellow walls, art built in.

A large coffee cup on the table, the plush pillows in the corner, and even though the room is somewhat disorderly, it’s still beautiful.

More Photos

Below is a video of a man discussing the different ways to build a home from natural materials.

When I was done editing a page and a half, I checked the clock–I’d spent more than an hour on the tiny project. The client was pleased with the work I’d done, and then told me how many more pages there were to be edited, and what their budget was for the project. I crunched the numbers: to edit the body of work would average me $8 an hour. I was stunned, and told the client I couldn’t possibly work for that wage. My editing and writing skills were (and still are) worth more than such a paltry amount.

We tried negotiating for a while, but I came to the conclusion that the client didn’t understand the real value of my skill. It hadn’t just take me an hour to edit, it had taken me years to learn how to write, how words work together, and how to craft and weave stories together.

Read the rest on courtneykirchoff.com

The Browser

A web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Opera) is a car. We get into a web browser and type in where we want to go, and the browser (car) takes us there. Some browsers are better than others, and some need to be taken to the scrap yard. Be sure to have the latest browser version installed, so that you can have the best driving experience possible.

The Domain

A website’s domain is an address (www.truenorthe.com). Domains are cheap to buy and relatively easy to get. In my experience with clients, most people buy domains from a company like GoDaddy.com, perhaps because it does a lot of television advertising. You can, however, buy a domain and server space from the same company, which will make your life so much simpler! A domain is just ONE part of obtaining a website. Buying a domain is like buying the address number plaque for your home.

The Hosting Company

If a domain is an address, the hosting company is the realtor and will sell you a piece of land where you can put your stuff (website content). The hosting company will provide the internet real estate for your website, so you can host your content on as much space (usually more than you could possibly need), so the world can come by and visit. I’ve used www.hostmonster.com to success.

The Server

Server space is what the host is selling you (property). A server is a remote computer that can be accessed by anyone with internet access. When you visit a website, you’re asking the hosting server to give you the text, images, and information on the website.

All Together

A website is a house filled with your content, which sits on a nice chunk of internet real estate (hosting server). To drive to the lot, you need an address (domain). A domain is JUST the address. Having a domain without a hosting server is like sending your friends to nowhere. You can have multiple domains (addresses) but without a host server (property), you’ve got bupkis.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) Login Information

Keeping with our housing analogy, the FTP is how a web designer (think of us as contractors and interior designers for your house), can access your lot. It’s our job to build your house, and without the correct keys to your lot, we can’t put anything on your property, nor can we remodel your existing house (old website). We need a username, password, and FTP information (something like ftp.yoursite.com), to break ground. We need the keys to get through the gate.

HTML/PHP

HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) are the backbones for a website’s construction: the bricks, wood, nails, and concrete. Without them it’s impossible to build your house. A web designer/developer is able to construct a website using those languages, giving the site structure and functionality.

CSS

A Cascading Style Sheet provides the style across the website. All houses need raw materials to be built, and all houses need a design and blueprints for where and how the materials will be constructed. CSS tells a website where to put the windows, how big the windows will be, and how they’ll open. CSS determines the color of the paint, the trim, the door, how wide the lawn spans, how tall the house stands, and whether your garage door slides up as one piece, or coils together. CSS makes your house awesome.

CMS

Static websites, which were the norm for many years, didn’t move. That is to say, if you the client (house resident) wanted to re-arrange your furniture (website content) you needed a web designer/developer to do it for you. CMSs (Content Management Systems) changed that. WordPress (a popular CMS) gives you, the client, a set of keys, so you can move your furniture or change it out whenever you want, without a developer to let you in the house. Make sense? Remember, though, that not all interior design moves are good ones. You may think it’s important to put three chandeliers in the dining room, but how will that help your visitors (website users)?

I hope that has made understanding how your website, or future website, works. If not, please leave your questions in the comments!

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” ~Leonardo da Vinci

“Keep it simple, stupid.”

What is simple?

Why do you want something simple? Easy. No, really, you want it because simple is easy. On one hand, yes, it is. Something simple is easy to understand, easy to operate, and easy to explain. It’s simple, no thinking required. The reason Apple has surged and became one of the most valuable companies in the world is its dedication to making things simple. The iPhone is so easy to use, it doesn’t come with a manual. The iPod line is intuitive, and even people who aren’t comfortable with technology can use them. Apple’s products are simple (and clean, but we’ll get to that later), and that’s why they’re so popular.

What is clean?

Clean is a word that’s tossed around a lot. Keep it clean, keep it simple. Simple we just discussed. But what does “clean” mean? It’s free from clutter. It’s organized, orderly, efficient. Everything has its place, everything has its space. Nothing extra to get in the way and mess things up. The bare bones. Only what you need. Clean. Again, Apple excels at clean. Their computers use gorgeous lines, solid matte finishes, glossy screens, and an icon-less desktop. When you first start your Mac, you won’t have to sort through trial versions of programs. You’ll have a small program bar at the bottom of your screen, nothing on the desktop. It’s refreshingly clean. Ahhhhh.

Apple is clean and simple. Apple is also expensive. Really expensive. Oh yes, the two are related.

We all like things that are easy. But not all of us can create something that’s simple. Apple knows how to make things simple, and they charge you a lot of money for it.

Clean and simple is not easy to pull off. It requires a keen eye, knowing where to place each element to give it the most impact. Knowing what makes things simple is the key to creating simple. You have to know how to organize for efficiency; what elements are needed and what are superfluous. In short, knowing how to create simple isn’t simple at all. It requires a lot of creation and deletion, experimenting with what works best, and what doesn’t work at all. Constructing clean and simple takes a lot of time.

Clean and Simple ≠ Cheap

A minimalist design does not mean a minimalistic bill. Sorry. Just because the final design uses less does not mean tools, time, and talent were not used to create it. Simple and clean websites take just as much or more time to execute and complete than their fun and active counterparts.

You may also want to read the following:

Simplicity isn’t that simple

Wonderful Whitespace

More details about my land to sea transition will come soon!

Rest assured, this will not hinder time lines on your work. Living and working on a sailboat will be inspiring, super cool, and self-sustaining. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll be working while visiting the San Juans or Vancouver, BC. Client work, your work, will still be well designed and delivered on time. You can tell everyone that your graphic designer lives and works on a sailboat.

I wrote about the reasons why I’m moving onto a sailboat, about the boat itself, and lots of other savvy things, over on my personal blog. You can read about it here.