Notes from Underground

Book Cover & Interior Design

This is a project assigned in early 2021 for FINA 202: Advanced Publication Design for Professor Jason Dewinetz. A total of six different mock-up covers were made for this assignment, but it eventually fell to the cover seen here, which depicts the narrator.

As a novel, a more standard size was chosen for this book. The typeface Arno Pro was chosen because of its overall flow and readability, along with being one of the standard typefaces for Tigerpetal Press. The cover typeface is blocky with some slanting to reference the typical Russian character form.
A typical 12/14 pt type was used in this design, though I think in future I’d go with 1.2x spacing instead for a book of this size.


The image of the man represents the narrator, who has turned his back on what he believes is a disappointing reality. He wears dark colours yet is primly dressed and clean-shaven to reference his previous work in the government.


Author: Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Translated by: Andrew R. MacAndrew
Typefaces: Arno Pro, Red October
Software: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign

Leave a Reply