Portfolio
:format(webp)/http://s3.amazonaws.com/projects-files/216/21683/2168328/363eacba-657b-49d5-9762-39a469a51210.jpg "Custom illustrated ebook cover for The Lucia Situation, a Christmas romance novella by Alva Lind, set in Stockholm.
I created a festive winter scene featuring the two main characters, combining hand-drawn illustrations, vintage halftone textures, warm lighting, and bold retro typography.
The challenge was to capture the magic of a Scandinavian Christmas while maintaining visual consistency with The Striker Situation, the first cover I designed for the Stockholm North Stars series.
The result is a romantic, cinematic cover with a distinctive retro aesthetic and a cohesive series identity.")
:format(webp)/99designs-contests-attachments/165/165518/attachment_165518837 "A retro-inspired sports romance cover blending the charm of a vintage paperback with the colorful atmosphere of a Scandinavian travel poster. Set against the Stockholm waterfront, the illustration combines romance and football through a warm, playful visual style, while the blue, white and gold palette creates the identity of the fictional Stockholm North Stars.
The full wrap extends the cityscape across the spine and back cover, creating a continuous illustrated world and a strong visual identity designed to carry through the series.")
:format(webp)/99designs-contests-attachments/165/165519/attachment_165519084 "Vintage-inspired book cover design for Treasure at Sea, a memoir about a mother’s journey through medically complex parenting.
The concept combines hand-drawn and digitally painted nautical elements with an ornate vintage aesthetic. The pearl represents both the “treasure” of the title and the child at the heart of the story, while the boat and turbulent sea evoke the mother’s emotional journey.
The full wrap extends the visual language across the spine and back cover, with subtle textures and small illustrative details designed to reveal themselves gradually and reward a closer look.")
:format(webp)/99designs-contests-attachments/164/164533/attachment_164533208 "Book cover design for Elephants and Flowers: Finding Myself Through Prince, a literary memoir exploring identity, resilience and personal transformation.
The concept combines a hand-drawn watercolor illustration with refined editorial typography to create a warm, intimate and timeless atmosphere. The elephant and lotus symbolize strength, vulnerability and personal growth, while the handcrafted paper element evokes the feeling of a treasured memory preserved over time.
The project included the complete cover design (front, spine and back cover), typography, layout and print-ready preparation for both paperback and hardcover editions.")
:format(webp)/99designs-contests-attachments/165/165952/attachment_165952018 "A dramatic book cover concept for a WWII historical fiction novel exploring forbidden love, injustice, and treason within a Japanese American internment camp.
The design combines hand-drawn line art, bold vintage-inspired typography, and a dark, atmospheric color palette. Barbed wire, a guarded watchtower, and sweeping searchlights evoke the tension and confinement of wartime incarceration, while the two central characters symbolize a relationship divided by duty and prejudice.
The illustration was entirely hand-drawn in Adobe Illustrator and colored in Adobe Photoshop, with distressed textures added to create the feel of a vintage printed cover.")
:format(webp)/99designs-contests-attachments/165/165880/attachment_165880825 "An original, hand-drawn book cover inspired by the themes of identity, cultural heritage, and belonging.
Set against a vibrant Afrofuturistic island city, Ayanna's backward glance mirrors the symbolic Sankofa bird, representing the importance of looking to the past to shape the future.
The illustration combines bold typography, expressive character design, and a rich tropical color palette to capture the novel's hopeful yet mysterious atmosphere.
Every element was individually hand-drawn and colored to create a distinctive visual identity tailored to the story.")
:format(webp)/99designs-contests-attachments/165/165818/attachment_165818745 "A bold and elegant book cover concept exploring the intersection of leadership, personal transformation, and ballroom dancing.
The central illustration merges two worlds into a single silhouette: a confident businesswoman and a graceful ballroom dancer, symbolizing reinvention, empowerment, and the freedom to move beyond labels.
The striking black, gold, and red palette, combined with sophisticated typography and flowing shapes, creates a refined Art Deco-inspired aesthetic.
The illustration was custom-drawn in Adobe Illustrator, with a focus on clean lines, expressive movement, and strong visual storytelling.")
:format(webp)/99designs-contests-attachments/165/165962/attachment_165962213 "A vibrant and playful book cover concept designed for middle-grade readers, exploring friendship, money management, and financial choices.
The design features bold retro-inspired typography, an oversized 3D $100 centerpiece, and ten expressive young characters representing the story's protagonists. A bright yellow palette, hand-drawn doodles, and subtle vintage textures create an energetic and engaging visual identity.
All character illustrations were hand-drawn in Adobe Illustrator and individually colored in Adobe Photoshop, with particular attention to facial expressions, diversity, and personality.
The goal was to create an eye-catching cover that captures the spirit of adventure, curiosity, and learning through a fun, contemporary visual approach.")
:format(webp)/99designs-contests-attachments/165/165189/attachment_165189672 "The concept draws inspiration from the theatrical atmosphere of the story, combining deep red curtains, a dramatic spotlight, a ballerina silhouette and intertwining thorns to create a sense of beauty, danger and mystery.
The curtain and ballerina artwork were created by hand, with layered textures and subtle halftone details adding depth and a slightly vintage, illustrated feel. Elegant custom-styled typography contrasts with the darker imagery and reinforces the romantic side of the story.
The visual identity was extended across the full paperback wrap, with coordinated spine and back-cover elements including thorns, roses and theatrical details for a cohesive final design.")
:format(webp)/99designs-work-samples/work-sample-designs/1834958/1730ca32-fb94-4aa5-b6f9-c46573225ea1 "The concept combines a bold, vintage-inspired typographic treatment with a narrative illustration. A winding path leads four cleaners through a Minnesota forest toward the hint of a crime scene, creating a visual connection between the book’s title and its mystery storyline.
I developed the characters, landscape and graphic elements in a simplified illustrated style, using a limited palette of teal, red, sand and cream. Distressed textures and retro typography add a subtle 1950s pulp-fiction influence while keeping the overall design contemporary.
The complete paperback design includes the front cover, spine and back cover, prepared with print production in mind.")
:format(webp)/99designs-work-samples/work-sample-designs/1834958/7cba605e-1b1b-4043-b6d7-e8d33bfcdb97 "A dark fantasy book cover combining hand-drawn ink and pencil textures with symbolic elements inspired by the story. The composition features a mysterious compass-like rosette, a bloodied fingerprint and expressive linework to create a sense of mystery, danger and adventure.
The restrained palette and handcrafted illustration style were designed to give the cover a distinctive, atmospheric identity while maintaining strong readability at thumbnail size.")
:format(webp)/99designs-contests-attachments/165/165178/attachment_165178785 "A bold and playful book cover design blending romance and true crime aesthetics. The concept plays with the contrast between “cute” and “murder” through oversized distressed typography, a fingerprint, a couple silhouette and crime-scene-inspired details.
The visual identity was extended across the full wrap, with a coordinated spine and back cover designed to maintain the same playful yet slightly dangerous tone.")
About
French graphic designer & illustrator with 22 years of experience in visual communication, freelance since 2007. Trained at the École des Arts Décoratifs with a Master’s in Graphic Design & Multimedia. I specialize in book covers & illustration, as well as branding, print and digital design. From concept to final artwork, I combine visual storytelling, typography and creativity. I like to agitate pixels and bring ideas to life. Open for 1-to-1 collaborations.
http://www.skartworks.fr
Country:
France.
Member since:
December 03, 2014
Reviews
"We worked together for the third time and I hope for many more. Sandra is fantastic, so if you have the chance of working with her, don't miss out!"
alva.lind
reviewed 2 days ago
"Thank you so much, Alva! It's been such a pleasure bringing your stories to life, and I've truly enjoyed every one of our collaborations. I can't wait to see what we'll create together next! "
Skartworks
responded 1 day ago
"I can 100% recommend working with Sandra. This time we did a 1-to-1 project and it was great. She is very creative, her work is extremely polished, she is very open for feedback and changes. It's simply a joy to work together. "
alva.lind
reviewed 23 days ago
"This was simply a fantastic experience. Sandra is a wonderful designer and the work with her was great."
alva.lind
reviewed about 1 month ago
"I think we made a pretty great team on this one, Alva! Creating Erik and Ella and the whole Stockholm North Stars atmosphere was such a fun project. Thank you for your trust! "
Skartworks
responded about 1 month ago
"My experience with Sandra was phenomenal! She gave me exactly what I wanted and was very professional in her work! "
ceciliambarbarR
reviewed about 2 months ago
"Thank you so much, Cecilia! It was truly a pleasure working with you and bringing your vision for The Vane Curse to life. I really enjoyed developing the cover and its atmosphere, and I’m so happy that the final design was exactly what you were looking for. Wishing you and The Vane Curse every success!"
Skartworks
responded about 2 months ago
"Sandra is a joy and a pleasure to work with. She's very open to collaboration, very good at incorporating feedback, and very dedicated to capturing the precise design aesthetic a client wants. She's also very patient, which I really appreciate. Her work..."
"Sandra is a joy and a pleasure to work with. She's very open to collaboration, very good at incorporating feedback, and very dedicated to capturing the precise design aesthetic a client wants. She's also very patient, which I really appreciate. Her work on my cover was fantastic, and the whole collaborative process was smooth from start to finish. Highly recommended!"
C.L. Johnson
reviewed 2 months ago
"Thank you so much, Chris! It was truly a pleasure working with you on Elephants and Flowers. I really enjoyed our collaboration and the care we both put into every detail of the cover. I’m very proud of the final result and incredibly happy that it reflects the vision you had for your book. Wishing Elephants and Flowers all the success it deserves!"
Skartworks
responded 2 months ago