A special edition cover has to do more than look good on its own. It needs to capture the atmosphere of the story, give readers a reason to fall in love with the physical book, and work as part of a collection that might eventually take up an entire shelf.

That becomes particularly important when you’re working across a long series. Each book needs its own identity, something that reflects the specific story and characters within it, but there also needs to be a visual thread connecting the whole collection.

The aim is to strike that balance. Create artwork that feels distinctive to each instalment, while making sure the designs speak the same visual language. And with matching digital edge designs across many of the books, that thinking extends beyond the front cover, helping bring the wider edition together.

Across more than 15 covers, the work has moved between different authors, genres and fictional worlds. But 3 projects really demonstrate the thinking behind designing for a series: Elise Kova’s “Married to Magic” series, Pam Godwin’s “Tangled Lies” series, and Penelope Douglas’ “Fall Away” series.

Both Elise Kova & Penelope Douglas' collections span five books, meaning the challenge wasn’t simply to create five individual illustrations. It was to build a cohesive visual identity that could carry across an entire series, while giving every instalment its own character.

With “Married to Magic”, the covers needed to feel connected as a collection, while reflecting the individual stories within each book. The same principle carried through “Fall Away”, creating a recognisable visual thread across all five covers without losing the details that make each title distinct. The result is artwork designed to work in two ways: as an individual cover that draws you into its story, and as part of a complete set that feels considered when the books sit together.

Alongside these, we’ve illustrated covers for Pam Godwin’s “Tangled Lies” series, bringing another fictional world into the mix. Each project requires a slightly different approach, but the underlying thinking stays consistent - understand what makes the story unique, then translate that into artwork that feels right for both the book and the wider collection.

The work extends beyond the covers themselves, with matching digital edge designs adding another layer of detail and helping bring each edition together as a complete package. We’ve also created typography for several editions, integrating titles into existing artwork so the lettering feels like a natural extension of the illustration style. It’s all part of thinking about the book as a whole, where every detail works together to create something worth collecting.

What makes this partnership particularly rewarding is the opportunity to return to these worlds and build on the work already established. When you’re designing an entire series, consistency isn’t about repeating the same thing five times. It’s about understanding what connects the books, knowing which elements need to stay recognisable, and finding the details that allow each new instalment to stand apart.

That balance becomes easier to navigate through an ongoing creative relationship. Working together over time means developing an understanding of the brand, the expectations of its readers and the level of detail that goes into each edition. Every new brief builds on that shared understanding, allowing the work to develop while maintaining a sense of continuity across the collection.

More than 15 covers in, the partnership has become about creating complete visual worlds, not just individual illustrations. Because for readers who collect special editions, the experience isn't only about the story they’re reading. It’s about seeing a series come together, watching the details connect, and having something on their shelves that feels like a collection in its own right.

And that’s the real value of designing for a series. Each book gets to tell its own story, but together, they become something bigger.