Fierce, funny and groundbreaking, There There is a multi-generational, relentlessly paced story about violence and recovery, hope and loss, identity and power. I wanted something simple, strident and bold that used type and image in a stark combination. There There was such a commanding title, I instinctively knew it would look incredibly graphic, filling the cover dimensions perfectly.  I thought the US woodcut artist, Bryn Perrott, would be particularly good for the cover. She had a raw energy about her work that, in my mind, perfectly matched the tone of the novel.

The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock is a spellbinding story of curiosity and obsession. Set in 1785, Jonah Hancock, a merchant, sells his ship for a mermaid.

My first job was to collect research on typography and fonts, printed matter, fashion and fabrics - all of which was pasted to the wall of my office. The title and author font was developed by referencing eighteenth-century lettering. Here are the first sketches by the lettering artist, and the finished title.

Suzanne Dean is the Creative Director at Vintage Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House UK. Here Dean describes her process for developing the book cover for The Only Story by Julian Barnes, in her own words.

Suzanne Dean is the Creative Director at Vintage Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House UK. She is one of the world's leading book cover designers and is the creative vision behind designs such as The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes and the UK editions of the works of Haruki Murakami, among many others. Holly Dunn caught up with her at her Penguin Random House office in London for Spine.

Suzanne Dean is a Creative Director for Penguin Random House Group. Contributor Vyki Hendy contacted her about the design for the cover of The Lauras. Here she describes her process for developing the look.