The Midnight Library
A conceptual book cover exploring regret, possibility, and second chances
Illustration
Graphic Design
Visual Storytelling
Project Overview
This project reimagines the book cover for The Midnight Library through a conceptual illustration approach. Rather than depicting literal scenes from the story, the goal was to capture the emotional experience of regret, shifting perspective, and the quiet hope found in second chances. The final design aims to resonate with younger adult audiences by translating the book’s themes into a poetic and relatable visual metaphor.
Client
Academic Project (SCAD)
Duration
2 Weeks
Role
Graphic Design
Concept
This conceptual book cover was created to move beyond a literal depiction of the plot and instead capture the emotional core of The Midnight Library a story about regret, possibility, and the quiet moments where perspective begins to shift.
During concept exploration, I focused on visual metaphors that represent an emotional crossroads. The chosen direction depicts a young girl standing at a moment of deep uncertainty, reflected in the water as a calmer version of herself, one that gently smiles back. This subtle smile represents an unexpected sense of hope and inner strength, suggesting that even in the darkest moments, another perspective is quietly waiting beneath the surface.
Thumbnail sketches explored the ideas how reflection, stillness, and contrast could communicate this shift in perspective. The final composition emphasizes quiet transformation rather than action, using a dreamlike palette and soft lighting to support the story’s quiet, reflective mood tone.
Deliverables
Concept development
Thumbnail sketches
Tight sketch
Color Comp
Final digital illustration
Final digital illustration
Process
Before exploring visual directions, I studied The Midnight Library’s narrative themes and reviewed existing book covers to understand how the story has been visually interpreted. This helped identify common tropes to avoid and opportunities to approach the cover through a more conceptual and emotionally driven lens.
1. Concept Exploration & Thumbnails
This conceptual book cover was part of a project at SCAD. The goal was to move beyond a literal depiction of the plot and instead capture the emotional core of The Midnight Library: a story about regret, possibility, and the lives we could have lived.
I explored multiple thumbnail concepts, focusing on metaphor and mood to represent the main character’s internal journey. The final design is based on the theme of shifting perspective, a moment of clarity and quiet transformation. I used a limited, dreamlike color palette and soft lighting to reflect the introspective tone of the story.
2. Mood & Reference Direction
Established the emotional tone and atmosphere through curated visual references. References were used to guide lighting, color temperature, and overall mood—focusing on quiet, introspective moments that reflect the story’s contemplative nature.
3. Thumbnail Sketches
Created a series of quick thumbnail sketches to explore composition, framing, and visual balance. This step allowed rapid experimentation with scale, focal points, and symbolism before committing to a single direction.
4. Value & Color Comps
Developed value and color comps to test contrast, readability, and emotional impact. Different palettes and lighting conditions were compared to ensure the final direction supported the narrative tone and translated clearly at book-cover scale.
5. Final Design
Rendered the final illustration with refined composition, controlled contrast, and subtle color transitions. The finished design balances clarity and atmosphere, translating the story’s themes into a visually cohesive and emotionally resonant cover.
Final design shown in book mockups
Tool Used
Photoshop ✦ Procreate (Sketeches)