On the heels of the success of Hop On Publishing’s first book, Debra Lee Won’t Break, Katherine and Chris Pickett approached me to design the cover for his account of the anti-Trump protests in Montgomery County, Maryland.
As a “memoir of that time, to preserve the history,” Chris’ aim was to instill hope in folks who wanted to do something after Trump’s reelection in 2024.
Creative Brief
The book’s actionable premise is that “it is a lot of work, but you can make a difference,” and that putting in the energy for a better tomorrow is worth it.
The interior (which he and Katherine are doing themselves) will contain several photos. Mostly photos he took, such as the examples he shared with me after our meeting.
The original working title was “Resistance is Patriotic”, so his primary cover idea was to show a crowd marching in protest. A big crowd, pictured from 10–15 feet above the crowd, looking down—news photo style.
But since such a photo doesn’t exist, and stock art seemed inappropriate, we decided illustration would be the solution, despite this being a nonfiction book for adults.
Chris’ goal was hope and empowerment based on his reflection of history.
Cover Details
While we explored several workable “crowd” options, including stock photography and line art, this gently colored style resonated most with Chris and Katherine: rather than the anger of a typical newsworthy photo, this idea shows family-friendly resistance! And my success with the illustrated cover of the book of protest essays, The Land Knows the Way, made me more open to the idea.
But with a lot of tweaking of the original art: more people, more diversity than the original, and addition of the signs, fists in the air, the actual logo and buttons, … and of course the proud family out in front.
The final typography, using two different brush fonts, provides energy and clarity. The tight lockup of the title and loose strokes in the byline are reminiscent of a hand-drawn protest sign. The slight arc of the subtitle, with its emphasis on “hope” and “resistance,” helps draw the cover together, echoing the arc of distant protesters at the top of the image.
The back cover echoes the art of the front, positioned and scaled such that three of the protest signs are clearly visible near the description. And a contrasting spine is sure to help the book stand out, even when on the shelf.
