Stupid Love is a standalone gay romance, and the cover needed to feel light without looking unserious. Romance has to deliver warmth and charm fast, and a stock-photo treatment wasn't going to cut it. The whole cover is digitally painted in Photoshop, which gives it an illustrative finish and lets the protagonist actually look like the character on the page rather than a model from a Shutterstock library.
Target Audience
Readers of contemporary gay romance, especially the lighter, low-angst end of the market. The cover had to communicate charm, character and genre at first glance. Romance readers know the visual language they're looking for, and the cover has to speak it cleanly.
Touchpoints
The cover was built for digital and print. Digital was the bigger consideration. Bold type and a strong central figure mean the design holds up at thumbnail size on Amazon, which is where most of the sales happen.
Success Metrics
Success here came down to client satisfaction and the finished quality of the cover. The painted style did its job, gave the book a consistent visual anchor for launch in both formats and matched the tone the author wanted on the page.
