Book cover - non fiction memoir dark trauma

  • Status: Open
  • Prize: $250
  • Entries Received: 1219

Contest Brief

When someone picks up this book, before they read a single word, they should feel: "I know exactly what this person went through." The cover does not need to explain the story. It needs to make the reader feel the weight of a life lived under something that was never their fault — and see, somewhere in that image, that she survived it. That is the whole book in one picture.

IMPORTANT UPDATE — please read before submitting new entries.
The little girl and the looming presence do not have to be facing the same direction. The creature does not have to be directly behind or above her. Think about this differently: the little girl IS the author — and the author survived. You can show the girl looking away from the presence, stepping out of it, or caught between the darkness and a single source of light. You can flip her angle. You can show the presence receding or fracturing. The darkness is not winning in this story. It lost. The cover should carry both — the weight of what was, and the fact that she is still here. Jasmine — the author's wife — kept the light on the entire time. There is always one point of light in this image, no matter how small.


BEFORE YOU SUBMIT:
⚠ THIS CONTEST IS FOR FRONT COVER + SPINE ONLY.
⚠ DO NOT DESIGN A BACK COVER. DO NOT PUT THE LITTLE GIRL ON A BACK COVER.

• No AI-generated images. Automatic disqualification.
• No stock photos. All artwork must be 100% original.
• All fonts must have a commercial print license.
Include the font name and license source with your entry.
• Do not use the little girl illustration for any purpose other than this contest submission.
• If you win: you sign a rights transfer.
• Submit only if you agree to all of these terms.


2. THE BOOK

Title (copy exactly — do not change anything):
Dad’s Dead…Now What?

Subtitle (copy exactly):
Unpolished. Becoming. Living Proof.
A Prelude to the Wreckage.

Author name:
Tiffany Charbonneau

Genre:
Non-fiction memoir. Trauma. Addiction. Recovery. Survival. Plant Medicine.

WHAT THIS BOOK IS ABOUT — Read This Before You Design Anything
This is a raw, unfiltered memoir written by a survivor. Not a polished recovery story. Not a how-to book. This is live footage of someone who was completely broken — and crawled out anyway.

The author is a 42-year-old former infantry soldier, registered nurse, mother, and trauma survivor. She lived through decades of abuse, near-death, morphine relapse, detox seizures, and went to a plant medicine retreat in Costa Rica to save her life. She reconnected with her little girl, and merged back with her soul.

This book is the prelude to a trilogy called Suffering in Silence. The cover must carry that weight.

VISUAL DIRECTION — FRONT COVER
Overall Mood
Dark. Pressurized. Human. Raw. Not gothic. Not horror. Not clean. This is the darkness before the light breaks. Think: survival, not despair. Weight, not decoration.

Colours
Background: Dark. Examples: black, dark grey, dark navy, dark green, dark purple. Your choice.
Accent colours: You have full creative freedom. Choose colours that feel like hope inside darkness. Any colours are allowed except pastels, neon, and rainbow.
Rule: All text must be easy to read. Light text on dark background. Or dark text on light area. Readability is required.


The Little Girl
An ink drawing of a little girl is attached. She is sitting on the floor, hugging her knees, crying. This is the author as a child.
• She must appear somewhere in the design.
• Her position, size, and placement are your choice.
•Do not change her face or body. You can use same outline in another media to blend her in better into the image. But dont edit her face or body.
• The illustration is attached to this contest. Use only the image provided. Do not replace it, recreate it, or substitute another image. This illustration belongs to the author. All rights are hers.

The little girl's position on the cover is your creative choice — she does not have to be at the bottom. She does not have to face forward. You can rotate her, angle her, place her anywhere in the composition. The looming presence does not have to come from directly above or behind. It can come from the side, surround her, emerge from within the image, or be woven into the background. We are not looking for one specific composition. We want to see yours. The only requirement: the presence feels bigger than her, and she is clearly in it.

The Looming Presence
Something must be looming over the little girl. A force. A presence. Something bigger than her. but you can't decipher what this thing is - it should represent all the abuse, the trauma and the over arching weight and pressure of a traumatized life. The weight that has been pressing down on her her entire life.
• What it looks like is your choice. Shadow, figure, shape, creature — anything.
• It must feel bigger than her. That contrast is the whole story.
The contrast between the tiny girl and the massive creature carries the entire emotional story of this book. That contrast must be unmistakable.

You can incorporate mirror breaking, or a mirror. She mirrored his emotions and now he is dead. The mirror is broken. And can also incorporate obsidian.

Typography — Title
The title is the most important part of the cover. It must be the biggest thing the eye sees.
• Font style: handwritten, heavy, pressurized. Like someone wrote it while gripping the pen too hard.
• Not calligraphy. Not brush script. Rough. Jagged. Human.
• Imperfections are good. Uneven lines are acceptable.
• Colour: light or white — must be easy to read.
• The … (three dots joined together) in the title is important. Do not replace it with separate dots or a dash.

Typography — Subtitle and Series
• Subtitle “Unpolished. Becoming. Living Proof.” — smaller than the title. Same rough handwritten feel.
• Series line “A Prelude to the Wreckage.” — smallest text. Near the bottom.
• Author name “Tiffany Charbonneau” — bottom of cover. Clean and readable.

Spine
• Include on the spine: book title, author name.
• Text must be easy to read. Match the visual style of the front cover.
• Provide the front cover and spine as one flat file.
• There is NO back cover in this contest. Do not design one. Do not submit one.

FILES TO DELIVER

When you submit your entry:
• JPEG or PNG preview of your design.
• Include font name(s) and confirm they are commercially licensed.
• Light watermark is allowed. Do not hide the design.

If you win, you must deliver:
• Print-ready PDF at 300 DPI, CMYK, 6 x 9 inches, with 3mm bleed.
• Fully layered PSD (Photoshop) or AI (Illustrator) file. This is mandatory. Future modifications must be possible without rebuilding the design from scratch.
• All layers separate, intact, and named clearly in English.
• All font files or confirmation of license.
• Signed rights transfer document.

This is a standard publishing rights transfer. The design will appear on a printed and distributed book. By submitting, you confirm you understand and agree to these terms upon winning.

WHAT NOT TO DO — Read Carefully
• Do not use bright colours, pastels, neon, or rainbow.
• Do not make it look like a self-help or wellness book.
• Do not use a clean, elegant, or thin font for the title.
• Do not change the little girl illustration, can uodate her outline in media of choice to blend her in.
• Do not flatten layers. All layers must stay separate and editable.
• Do not use AI-generated textures, backgrounds, or images.
• Do not design a back cover. This contest is front cover and spine only.


QUESTIONS
If you have questions about the brief, post them in the contest comments. Questions about fonts, colour, or composition are welcome. Questions about the rights terms are not negotiable.

If I RATE YOU A 1 STAR it means you have met the criterias but you are not close to what i am looking for. Try again in a different direction.


If you get a 3 STAR, it means that you have potential but certain things are missing.

If you get a 4 STAR, you are very much on the right track, and love the direction you are going.

If you get a 5 STAR, you are being considered as a winner. but may need to make a few small changes to make it the winner.

I plan to be engaged in the contest, please don't be mad if i reject your entry to keep my submitted entries clean. I will reject if you do not meet my criterias.

Thank you and i am so excited to see what you create!!
Cheers,
Tiffany

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Public Clarification Board

  • mdkobirhossenbd
    mdkobirhossenbd
    • 20 hours ago

    Dear Contest Holder!!!
    I have submitted my design entries to your contest and would greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to review them.
    I sincerely hope the designs align with your requirements and meet your expectations.

    All submitted concepts are completely original and will be delivered in fully editable vector format,
    allowing you to modify any element easily in the future.
    The final files will be print-ready, high-resolution,
    and fully scalable without any loss of quality.

    You will receive the source and export files in the following formats:
    AI, EPS, SVG, PDF, PNG, JPEG, and PSD.

    I also provide unlimited revisions to ensure the final design is exactly as you envision it.
    If you need any adjustments or additional variations,
    please feel free to let me know. I would be happy to assist you further.

    Thank you very much for your valuable time and consideration.

    • 20 hours ago
  • Sayeedgraphic
    Sayeedgraphic
    • 1 day ago

    Hello Sir/Madam,
    I’ve submitted my designs as entry #1317 . Please take a moment to review them and share your thoughts. If you’d like any changes—such as adjustments in color, font, or symbols—I’ll be happy to provide unlimited revisions until you’re 100% satisfied.
    Looking forward to your feedback!

    • 1 day ago
  • mdhafiz013
    mdhafiz013
    • 1 day ago

    #1314

    • 1 day ago
  • mdhafiz013
    mdhafiz013
    • 1 day ago

    #1316

    • 1 day ago
  • anthonymendez75
    anthonymendez75
    • 1 day ago

    There's no way you are going to get manually created artwork ... it's going to be extremely rare if any. Manually created artwork takes time, you'd get a few entries per designer at most, not 1200+ & rising. And just looking at all the entries & how they look similar, common sense suggests it's all AI. It's easy to download an entry, run it through AI & prompt it to make it give many different variations. So yeah, expecting "No AI-generated images", you'll need to eliminate every designer. Sad but true.

    • 1 day ago
  • litfurrahman
    litfurrahman
    • 2 days ago

    Kindly check my entry #1154

    • 2 days ago
  • Abirdesignslogos
    Abirdesignslogos
    • 2 days ago

    Please Check my entries #1211 #1212

    • 2 days ago
  • AnsariEdits45
    AnsariEdits45
    • 2 days ago

    Kindly check my submitted entries #1202 #1203 #1204 #1205 and let me know if you need any changes in it.

    • 2 days ago
  • AnsariEdits45
    AnsariEdits45
    • 2 days ago

    Kindly check my submitted entries #1177 #1178 #1179 and let me know if you need any changes in it.

    • 2 days ago
  • litfurrahman
    litfurrahman
    • 2 days ago

    Please Check #1154

    • 2 days ago
  • reddmac
    reddmac
    • 3 days ago

    these are AI generated. :(

    • 3 days ago
  • idreesejaz320
    idreesejaz320
    • 3 days ago

    Please Check my entries

    • 3 days ago
  • NewPlusdesign
    NewPlusdesign
    • 3 days ago

    Hello Contest Holder, Could you please wait few more days before making final decision?
    I am working on this project. Thanks

    • 3 days ago
  • litfurrahman
    litfurrahman
    • 4 days ago

    Check My Entry #1019

    • 4 days ago
  • Emacabrera85
    Emacabrera85
    • 4 days ago

    Hi! If you'd like, you can view my entry #1018 . I hope you enjoy it and would appreciate your feedback. Thank you!

    • 4 days ago
  • Josue2412
    Josue2412
    • 4 days ago

    Hi please check #991

    • 4 days ago
  • Humaumair12
    Humaumair12
    • 4 days ago

    All Ai are on top :)

    • 4 days ago
  • AnsariEdits45
    AnsariEdits45
    • 4 days ago

    Kindly check my submitted entries #961 #962 #963 #964 and let me know if you need any changes in it.

    • 4 days ago
  • AnsariEdits45
    AnsariEdits45
    • 4 days ago

    Kindly check my submitted entries #954 #955 #956 and let me know if you need any changes in it.

    • 4 days ago
  • AnsariEdits45
    AnsariEdits45
    • 4 days ago

    Kindly check my submitted entries #932 #933 #934 and let me know if you need any changes in it.

    • 4 days ago
  • wildfire460
    Contest Holder
    • 5 days ago

    Pleasedo not add jasmine kept the light on. There should be no other words than what my instructions says. Title. Subtitle amd the author name.
    Thank you to all of you.

    • 5 days ago
  • Umaireee
    Umaireee
    • 5 days ago

    #871 by

    @Umaireee

    I HOPE YOU WILL LIKE IT !

    • 5 days ago
  • Humaiyunk
    Humaiyunk
    • 5 days ago

    #863

    • 5 days ago
  • litfurrahman
    litfurrahman
    • 5 days ago

    Dear Contest Holder plz check my entry. Please feel confident awarding me the project. I dedicated almost two full days to creating this cover and tried my best to capture the emotion and atmosphere described in the brief. If there's anything you'd like adjusted or improved, please let me know. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated, and I'd be happy to make any revisions needed to better match your vision. Thank you! ? #840

    • 5 days ago
  • Josue2412
    Josue2412
    • 5 days ago

    Hi please check #851

    • 5 days ago
  • wildfire460
    Contest Holder
    • 6 days ago

    IMPORTANT UPDATE — please read before submitting new entries.
    The little girl and the looming presence do not have to be facing the same direction. The creature does not have to be directly behind or above her. Think about this differently: the little girl IS the author — and the author survived. You can show the girl looking away from the presence, stepping out of it, or caught between the darkness and a single source of light. You can flip her angle. You can show the presence receding or fracturing. The darkness is not winning in this story. It lost. The cover should carry both — the weight of what was, and the fact that she is still here. Jasmine — the author's wife — kept the light on the entire time. There is always one point of light in this image, no matter how small.

    • 6 days ago
    1. iridium99
      iridium99
      • 6 days ago

      Everything you wrote earlier vanishes like smoke. You wrote that the girl's picture should be used in its original form, since it was an original work. Do you think all the artists here will re-draw the girl? Here, 99% of people can't draw a straight line with a pencil, so they do everything in AI. And you encourage them, despite the fact that you asked them not to post AI images. Perhaps you should replace this ban and ask specifically for AI files. But in this case, you will not be able to claim copyright, since AI is not a human and has no right to do so. You need to choose a designer and work with him until the final file is ready. In 30 days you will receive a thousand variants of AI spam.

      • 6 days ago
    2. freestylepcm
      freestylepcm
      • 5 days ago

      Madam, all the fonts you're considering aren't royalty-free. Will you buy the font? Will you pay to use it? Or do you prefer a royalty-free one?

      • 5 days ago
  • PsLeague
    PsLeague
    • 5 days ago

    Im not getting the submit option its like i got blocked or something like im out of the contest but i want yo participat ?

    • 5 days ago
    1. ahashanulhaque8
      ahashanulhaque8
      • 5 days ago

      It looks like you're not currently subscribed to a membership plan.

      • 5 days ago
    2. freestylepcm
      freestylepcm
      • 5 days ago

      If you don't have a membership plan, you can only upload/submit 3 entries

      • 5 days ago
  • AnsariEdits45
    AnsariEdits45
    • 5 days ago

    Kindly check my submitted entries #786 #787 and let me know if you need any changes in it.

    • 5 days ago
  • pmlajna22
    pmlajna22
    • 5 days ago

    #737 please check

    • 5 days ago
  • PsLeague
    PsLeague
    • 6 days ago

    Hi Im unable to submit the entries i dont now why im still trying participat as i meet the criterias thank you, if im out of this competition please let me know.

    • 6 days ago
    1. wildfire460
      Contest Holder
      • 5 days ago

      Contest is still open for 29 days. You can submit

      • 5 days ago
    2. ahashanulhaque8
      ahashanulhaque8
      • 5 days ago

      It looks like you're not currently subscribed to a membership plan.

      • 5 days ago
  • wildfire460
    Contest Holder
    • 6 days ago

    When someone picks up this book, before they read a single word, they should feel: "I know exactly what this person went through." The cover does not need to explain the story. It needs to make the reader feel the weight of a life lived under something that was never their fault — and see, somewhere in that image, that she survived it. That is the whole book in one picture.

    • 6 days ago
  • wildfire460
    Contest Holder
    • 6 days ago

    If I RATE YOU A 1 STAR it means you have met the criterias but you are not close to what i am looking for. Try again in a different direction.

    If you get a 3 STAR, it means that you have potential but certain things are missing.

    If you get a 4 STAR, you are very much on the right track, and love the direction you are going.

    If you get a 5 STAR, you are being considered as a winner. but may need to make a few small changes to make it the winner.

    I plan to be engaged in the contest, please don't be mad if i reject your entry to keep my submitted entries clean. I will reject if you do not meet my criterias.

    Thank you and i am so excited to see what you create!!
    Cheers,
    Tiffany

    • 6 days ago
    1. iridium99
      iridium99
      • 6 days ago

      • No AI-generated images. Automatic disqualification.
      DEAR CONTEST HOLDER, You probably can't distinguish AI-generated images from real designs. Why do you award them stars and not reject them?
      Another question about the competition's timing: why does it take 30 days to create the cover? We're not building a spaceship to fly to Mars.

      • 6 days ago
  • Humaiyunk
    Humaiyunk
    • 6 days ago

    #515

    • 6 days ago
  • Humaiyunk
    Humaiyunk
    • 6 days ago

    #511

    • 6 days ago
  • Rsrayhan02
    Rsrayhan02
    • 6 days ago

    Please check #470

    • 6 days ago
  • TubaArtist
    TubaArtist
    • 6 days ago

    Please check #466 Book cover - non fiction memoir dark trauma

    • 6 days ago
  • TubaArtist
    TubaArtist
    • 6 days ago

    Please check #466 Book cover - non fiction memoir dark trauma

    • 6 days ago
  • TubaArtist
    TubaArtist
    • 6 days ago

    Please check #465 Book cover - non fiction memoir dark trauma

    • 6 days ago
  • TubaArtist
    TubaArtist
    • 6 days ago

    Please check #465 Book cover - non fiction memoir dark trauma

    • 6 days ago
  • TubaArtist
    TubaArtist
    • 6 days ago

    Please check #464 Book cover - non fiction memoir dark trauma

    • 6 days ago
  • TubaArtist
    TubaArtist
    • 6 days ago

    Please check #464 Book cover - non fiction memoir dark trauma

    • 6 days ago
  • wildfire460
    Contest Holder
    • 6 days ago

    Thank you so much, i plan to start rating and stay engaged throughout the 30 days. Please read the instructions very clearly.

    • 6 days ago
  • PsLeague
    PsLeague
    • 6 days ago

    Please check my entry #311 it something unique i have give thanks for the opportunity

    • 6 days ago

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