Lauren Peters-Collaer takes on a YA Challenge for The Escape of Light
Lauren Peters-Collaer is a graphic designer in New York City. Here she tells us how she came up with the radiant cover for Fred Venturini’s The Escape of Light.
I was very excited when Turner Publishing first approached me to design the cover for The Escape of Light, by Fred Venturini. The initial brief sounded fascinating and I was eager to dig into the story. I must admit though, that in the midst of my excitement, I felt a twinge of uncertainty. The Escape of Light is a literary YA book, and having worked exclusively in adult literature, I didn’t feel experienced in this area, and was not entirely confident that I could create a successful design with a younger audience in mind. But my excitement and desire to work within the story eclipsed any hesitance.
The Escape of Light tells the moving story of Wilder, a teenage survivor of a serious burn accident as he navigates high school, relationships, and life, all while grappling with his own scars (both literal and figurative). I began as always by reading, making notes of themes and visuals from the book, and sketching ideas.
Throughout the course of the novel we witness Wilder’s struggles, strength, and resilience. With this in mind, and in the context of the title, I wanted to create visuals that alluded to the metaphorical light within the book’s protagonist. I pulled images of high school-aged boys that felt like they could represent Wilder, and then explored ways to incorporate different expressions of light to try to speak to his qualities of personal resilience.
I also played with other visuals and sourced photos that drew on themes from the story such as Wilder’s relationship with basketball, the sense of the place, and other high school paraphernalia, while trying to stay true to the tone of the book.
When creating the type used on the chosen direction, I was thinking about all the handwritten notes I took in high school. I wanted to land on something that felt approachable, not strictly adult-like, but also not too young. So, I pulled out my markers and paintbrushes and tried to channel my inner teenager.
I also got some samples from male friends in an attempt to get a more masculine energy in the handwriting. After putting everything together and trying different combinations, I felt that the arched type made for the most interesting and cohesive composition.
After looking at a few color combinations, the publisher settled on the below cover as the final. I think they felt this cover to be the most universal and tonally appropriate.
Although I initially wondered if designing for YA would be too far outside of my experience, in the end, the process for this cover was familiar to me in that it was completely unique. While I consistently start with reading and sketching, what follows is always different and informed by the book. In this case, the audience was just one of many aspects unique to this book and new to me. This process reminded me that every book contains its own specific set of challenges. Fred Venturini’s captivating writing and poignant characters made this one a particularly engaging and rewarding experience.
Final cover
Editor, artworker and lifelong bibliophile.