Interview with my cover designer, Ida Jansson

Today I'm delighted to be interviewing Ida Jansson of Amygdala Design, creator of the stunning cover for my dark fiction short story collection, Passing Time.

Hello Ida. Please tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from, and what do you do when you're not designing covers or creating digital art?

Hi! I am 27 years old, and from Norway. I currently live in Oslo with my boyfriend of 10 years and our wonderful dog. I run the company Amygdala Design, which I started in October 2012. Amygdala Design specializes in Book Cover design and other related services. I am educated as a Graphic Designer, but I also have a bachelor degree in Biomedical Science. Right now I work full time as a Digital Artist and Graphic Designer in my own company.

In my spare time, I love to read (and I read a lot!). I also enjoy cross country skiing and long walks with my dog.

You have a selection of stunning artwork on your website, Amygdala Design. What inspires your creativity?

Thank you! I am very inspired by music, especially soundtracks from different movies, and also game music. I always listen to music when I design book covers. Also, reading books inspires me a lot. I am so impressed by all the amazing authors out there, and I want to support new authors in every way that I can. 

What started your passion for book cover design?

My passion for book cover design started with my passion for reading! I thought it would be perfect to combine my love for books with my passion for digital art. It is an amazing feeling to hold a book in my hands and know that I have designed the cover.

Actually, it all started with a request from you to design your book cover for “Passing Time”. I really enjoyed the process, and it made me think that this was actually something I could do for a living. After that, the requests have just kept coming, and I feel very lucky to have gotten such a great start. So thank you Ellie! 

You offer both pre-made and custom-made covers. Can you talk us through the process of creating a custom-made cover for an author?

The custom-made covers are made in close cooperation with the author. I often ask for a short synopsis of the story before I start working on ideas for the cover. It is important that the covers reflect the main components of the story, but in a simple way. A cover should not have too many components, as the potential reader should be able to see what kind of book this is just by a simple glance.

Some customers know exactly what they want, down to the smallest detail. Others just give me a basic idea of the story, and leave it to me to come up with ideas. Then I make a first version, a draft that I send to the author. From there, we decide if anything needs to be changed before the final version.

On your blog you mention getting the right book cover is important. Why?

Unfortunately, a lot of great books get too little attention because the cover is too anonymous or doesn’t tell the potential reader anything about the book. An eye-catching book cover is so important do draw the attention that you need to sell your book. I know that when I browse Amazon for books to download on my Kindle, I always stop by the books with the best covers. The first impression is so important, especially when you are a new author. With the amount of self-published books growing rapidly, the competition to get noticed is very tough, and the right book cover can be crucial.

What other services do you offer authors?

In addition to book covers, I also offer the following services:

-         Book Trailers

-         Promotional Artworks

-         Facebook Banner

I saw a book trailer you recently made and was blown away by the quality. Was this your first trailer and how difficult was it to make?

Thank you! Yes, it actually was my first book trailer. Since then, I have made another trailer which was luckily also well received. I really enjoy making them, combining my passion for books, art, and music. Technically, it was not very difficult to make because I have made similar products through my education. But it was certainly challenging to decide what elements to include in the trailer, as the book opened up so many possibilities.

Do you plan to offer any other book-related services during 2013?

Right now I have my hands full with book covers, trailers, promo-art and banners. Recently, I made a logo for a customer, and I really enjoyed the process. So I am open for designing more logos if I get the opportunity. I am always open to help authors with any design services they might need, even if it is not currently one of my official services.

Now for the compulsory random question: if you could design a cover for an author, who would it be and why?

Maybe not the most original answer, but I would have to answer J.K. Rowling. She is simply a genius, and I LOVE Harry Potter!

Win a book trailer by Ida! Visit her Facebook page to find out more.


Amygdala Design




Thank you, Ida. I feel honoured to have been part of the reason you decided to start designing book covers. I am sure that during 2013 Amygdala Design will continue to grow and flourish with your obvious passion and creativity behind it.