Designing the Cover
Finn contacted me late in 2025 about designing the cover of his first book “Things I Wrote: And Other Stuff Too.” We jumped into talking about memorable covers he’s seen at book stores, what his book is about and what it means to publish his first book under his own publishing company.
In collaborating on color psychology, typography and what he wanted to illicit from those who came into contact with his book, we decided to emphasize textures and analog elements from the past. For example, we took human handwriting and turned it into a vector to show his name on the cover.
Textures, Wear and Paper Drafts
Writing is a very time and attention-intensive activity. We wanted to visually communicate this in a way that showed time and care. The scratches and duotone mixed with the frame to illustrate the idea of going through paper drafts. While a lot of writing in the modern day is done using a keyboard, speech-to-text or through modern means; we wanted to provoke the thought of pen on paper.
Iterations and Rounds of Review
This project took months to complete. When designing something so personal, you really have to take time to reflect on what you’re truly looking to communicate. In going through this process with Finn I learned about how personal this project was to him and how badly he wanted it to reflect his vision. Below is a reel compiling drafts throughout the project.
“Jordan is an infinitely talented graphic designer, has always been incredibly patient with me and my whims, and most importantly is a wonderful human. This is the fourth design project we have worked on together. I can’t imagine working with anyone else and give him my highest recommendation for all of your graphic design needs.”
-Finn Ruehrdanz