Frank Advice for Entrepreneurs Pitching Investors
With his “six principles to pitch investors,” author and entrepreneur Kelvin Johnson breaks down the barriers between entrepreneurs and the “sharks”—their investors.
Design Objectives: Business founders preparing their initial stage investment pitch are the intended audience for this business book. Designing for action-oriented executives short on time, I made the book easily digestible and immediately actionable, focusing on real-world examples and itemized checklists.
Creative Process
Building a successful layout requires a systematic approach to the content—clear tabular lists of questions, structural headings and subheadings, and visually engaging pull quotes—with enough flair to engage readers while leading them through Kelvin’s systems.
The cover development centered on the theme of a swimmer plus a shark (the marine animal), something Kelvin preferred. I presented six options of the two dozen concepts I explored, including photographic and illustrated ideas, to see what would click with the author and publisher.
Collaboration and Feedback
I worked with the author, and editor/project manager LaToya Taris-James on reviewing cover concepts and providing several editing suggestions to enhance the effectiveness of the tables and checklists.
Examples of the interior spreads of Don’t Fear the Sharks show the different types of structural elements.
Design Choices
As a handbook, the cover needed to imply action while also being engaging and provocative. I picked “business blue” as the primary color, which aligned nicely with the blue ocean theme appropriate for sharks. The road sign’s yellow was precisely the accent I needed to attract attention and balance the blue sky and water.
The road sign utilizes the Interstate typeface, standard for U.S. road signs, and a complementary use of Futura PT for the subtitle and interior headings. I set the byline in Bufalino bold, a condensed typeface, to balance the other cover elements visually. The interior is presented in Warnock 11/16 with paragraph spaces instead of indents to help lengthen the book.
