YOU'LL REGRET IT WHEN I'M GONE
Book Cover Design | Literary Thriller / Latinx Mystery
You’ll Regret It When I’m Gone is a Latinx mystery rooted in generational trauma, grief, and complicated womanhood. From the start, I knew this cover needed to blend tension with intimacy—mirroring a story that feels both personal and haunted by legacy.
Follow the Author: Crystal Prado
*Official cover will be updated once book is published.
COVER DESIGN
The composition is split between two symbolic worlds: the back cover altar, bathed in marigolds and candlelight, represents memory, tradition, and mourning; while the front cover portrait reveals a hardened woman who’s seen too much—and has no intention of staying quiet. The contrast is intentional. One side looks inward; the other stares back.
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The ofrenda scene was illustrated to feel sacred but not peaceful—there’s warmth, but also weight. Shadows stretch long. Colors are saturated but heavy, hinting that grief has made a home here. On the front, the central figure exhales smoke, poised with control and menace. Her blue eyes pierce through the page, daring the viewer to ask what she’s hiding—or what she’s about to do.
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Everything from palette to posture was chosen to reflect tension between loss and power, vulnerability and vengeance. The final illustration is less about a single moment and more about the stories these women carry—and what happens when they’re finally ready to speak.
CHARACTER DESIGN
Livia is the heart of the mystery, and the center of the cover. She isn’t meant to look innocent—she’s meant to look unforgettable.
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I designed her with an unapologetic presence: sharp-lined makeup, dark lipstick, a cigarette like punctuation. Her wardrobe echoes Chicana elegance—hoops, flannel, long hair, and a hat that nods to old-school attitude. Her posture is relaxed, but her expression is not. She’s still. Measured. Watching.
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Her blue eyes became a key focal point in the final painting, pulling the viewer in and keeping them there. There’s pain in her face, but no fear. She’s a woman shaped by betrayal—and that history is written in every line of her features.
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Livia isn’t a stereotype. She’s a statement. Her portrait asks: what happens to women who’ve been underestimated for too long? What do they become?
EARLY SKETCHES
The visual concept for this cover began with a fractured relationship—told through posture, lighting, and silence. On the back, we see the daughter, viewed from behind as she faces a candlelit altar. She’s small, quiet, and surrounded by the weight of memory. Her isolation speaks louder than her body ever could. This isn’t a moment of peace—it’s a reckoning.
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On the front, her mother Livia dominates the frame. Unlike her daughter, she faces forward—bold, unflinching, almost confrontational. Her cigarette smoke curls like punctuation to a life lived on her own terms. She doesn’t need the viewer’s approval. She wants to be remembered.
Their poses reflect the story's emotional tension. The daughter is grieving, but unsure for whom. The mother, Livia, was complex, toxic, and larger than life—the kind of woman who would always say things like, “You’ll regret it when I’m gone.”
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Thumbnail iterations explored different visual pairings of these two timelines: past vs. present, absence vs. presence, silence vs. smoke. As the design evolved, the final composition landed on symmetry with deliberate disconnection—two women sharing the same cover but not the same page.
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This contrast became the core of the sketches:
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The daughter turned away, lost in mourning.
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Livia staring directly ahead, unapologetically defiant.
TOOLS USED
This project was created using a layered digital workflow that blended expressive illustration with precise design structure. Each tool supported a different stage of the process, allowing the emotional weight of the story to guide both composition and detail.
Adobe Fresco
Brainstorming
Thumbnail sketches
Composition exploration
Lighting Studies
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Procreate
Full Digital Painting
Digital Rendering
Brush Textures
Atmospheric Effects
Adobe Photoshop
Color Correction
Tone Adjustment
final Polish
Adobe InDesign
Spread Layout
Typography
Print Formatting
Proof Mockup