October is here — the most atmospheric month of the year. With Halloween just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to get lost in a book series that radiates mystery and chills. Are you ready to step into the paranormal with our fresh series cover design case study?
Author’s request for series book cover design
Today, we’re going to talk about J.R. Erickson’s series called Dear Celeste. It’s a dark paranormal mystery that blurs the lines between reality and nightmare.
What are these stories about?
This series follows Celeste Cleary, a scientist who was brought back from death and returned with the ability to sense what others can’t. In each book, she’s drawn into new investigations where the living and the dead intertwine, uncovering hidden crimes, dark secrets, and the truth that refuses to stay buried.
For her series, J.R. Erickson wanted the covers to feature haunted houses framed by twisting branches or roots, evoking an eerie atmosphere. She also provided a few reference designs to show the look and feel she had in mind.
By the way, providing visual references is always a huge help for designers. It gives them a clear sense of your vision and style. Learn more about what makes the perfect design brief in our blog post.
Series cover design for book one — Come Home, Katie
We got to work, feeling truly inspired by this haunting story. Since the first book sets the tone for the entire series, our designer studied the author’s notes and created the initial concept.
J.R. Erickson loved the overall direction, but she requested a few key adjustments. The typography felt too close to her previous series, so she wanted this one to stand apart and reflect a new chapter of stories. J.R. Erickson wished to see a creepier font. She also asked for a different type of house to match the atmosphere better.
Our designer refined the details, and here’s the result.
Cover design for book two — The Worst Kind
The second cover had to stay in harmony with the first, continuing the same eerie theme and atmosphere. This time, J.R. Erickson wanted to experiment with slightly different colors to add variation. She also shared a few photos of houses as inspiration, and here’s what we came up with.
Cover design for book three — Dread the Night
For the third book, the author envisioned a house by the lake, calm yet mysterious. Our designer captured that vision perfectly on the very first try. No revisions were needed! Take a look at the final result below.
By the way, if you’d like to learn more about designing covers for horror and paranormal stories, check out our latest blog post.
Series cover design for book four — She Writes in Red
Given the title of the fourth book, J.R. Erickson wanted to bring in a reddish tone for this cover, which turned out beautifully. What do you think of the final version?
Cover design for book five in the series — Veil of Pines
For the final installment of this eerie and atmospheric mystery series, the author imagined a cabin in the woods — nestled in the back, surrounded by shadowy trees. The overall style and typography continued the visual thread from the previous covers, tying the series together beautifully.
Summing up
Here’s how the Dear Celeste covers turned out — dark, atmospheric, and visually unified. The recurring houses, consistent typography, and shared composition create a cohesive look that instantly ties the books together as one haunting series.
Do you want your series to have covers that look this cohesive and professional? Then, just a quick reminder — we offer a 10% discount on design when you order covers for a series, starting with the second book.
In the meantime, we’d love to hear your thoughts on J.R. Erickson’s series design. Share your impressions in the comments below!
