Working on a book is an exciting challenge. It’s something that its author has labored over for years, and when it comes time to create the jacket art, you want to make sure you represent the voice inside with as much care as possible.

Hum joined up with the brilliant B.J. Novak to design some jacket options for his book of short stories, One More Thing. It’s an eclectic mix of short, and very short, stories that are all hilarious and vulnerable and surprising. B.J.’s book is written in his completely unique and engrossing voice, and we wanted it to stand out on the shelves. Noticing the trend of photography-based jacket design, we moved forward with text as our medium.

As you can see in the featured photo, the book cover that was chosen was B.J.’s handwriting. It’s a simple and clever way to show the humanity in the book, have a personal touch from the author, and create the hurried feeling behind the phrase “One More Thing.”

The designs for the jackets ranged in concept and style, but we wanted to stay true to the feeling behind “One More Thing.” From type that sweeps out from the edge of the jacket, to staggering letters, to a mechanical theme as an homage to a robot in the title story, the design was meant to capture the essence of its content.

We noticed that the stories in B.J.’s book ranged in subject, but through it all was a thread of off-beat and raw compassion. We didn’t want the design to be too safe, too normal, or anything that you would see in a bookstore right now. Playing with text shapes and movement helped bring the concept forward.

We loved working on this book, seeing how one theme can transform so many times, and most importantly we love the book itself.  Get One More Thing for yourself, and learn more on the website we built!