Blue Ridge University Series Book Cover Design
Client /Author: Sorena Graves | Tool Used: Canva/Photoshop
Overview
The Blue Ridge University series is a set of interconnected college sports romances, each centered on a new couple and sport. The challenge was to create a unified brand identity across all three covers while giving each story a distinct emotional and visual personality.
I designed all covers in Canva, combining layered textures, handwritten accents, and photo layering to evoke a scrapbook feel that mirrors the series’ themes of love, growth, and memory. Each cover subtly includes motifs and tones unique to its story.
Design Goals
Establish a cohesive visual identity across the series
Capture the emotional tone and sport of each novel
Blend a scrapbook aesthetic with romance and grit
Create a flexible Canva system for marketing graphics and extensions
OUT OF THE SHADOWS
COLT & HAILEY Theme & Motifs: Fake dating, football, stars, beast and princess dynamic Tone: Maroon, romantic, bold Design Choices: Deep maroon palette to match the football setting and team colors Star overlays and soft light flares to symbolize connection “under the lights.” Layered torn-paper textures and tape graphics to give a scrapbook-style intimacy. Elegant serif title font paired with script subtitle to balance masculine and feminine tones.
UNDER THE LIGHTS
DOM & SIERRA Theme & Motifs: Reverse age gap, tennis and football, grumpy x sunshine, sorority secrets Tone: Soft lavender, muted purple palette Design Choices: Feminine aesthetic with grit inspired by sorority tones and Aphrodite symbolism. Floral overlays blended with light textures to balance grace and strength. Emphasis on tension between the characters. Slight texture grain and splatter effects for a cinematic finish. Floral and seashell drawings to enhance the scrapbook theme.
THROUGH THE FLAMES
HUNTER & ELLA Theme: Hacker and athlete, redemption, secrets in the dark Tone: Charcoal, forrest green, dark green, pale green, and ember, dark romance energy Design Choices: Deep black base layered with glowing orange and red accents to evoke fire and danger. Subtle mandala patterns, binary code textures, and snake motifs integrated into the background. Minimalist text treatment with bold contrast to emphasize mystery. Soft reverse vignette edges for a cinematic, high-stakes look using scrapbook paper elements as well as themes of football, tennis rackets, snakes and mandalas.
BROCHURES
PROGRAMS & FLYERS
T-SHIRTS, MEDALS, & TROPHIES
