Landing page UX/UI for author’s book
Design and development of 2-page website to promote Jim Paluch’s new book, The Depressed Motivational Speaker
Jim Paluch, long time motivational speaker and author commissioned me to illustrate his latest book cover, The Depressed Motivational Speaker in January of 2022. Upon release in June 2022, Jim gave me the privilege of designing a landing page to promote the book, which I thoroughly enjoyed doing.
Having known and worked with Jim for more than 30 years, I knew from the beginning what his personal brand needed to reflect on this website. Jim has been in the personal development business his entire life and walks the walk. He spends much of his spare time walking amongst nature, frequently creating inspirational content at the same time.
The User Experience (UX) is vastly important for landing pages
The first impression is incredibly important. We want to promote this particular book, so I wanted it to jump off the page – hence, the black background and complementary colors (green).
And to sell a book, you have to sell the author, which is why I had Jim’s photo taken in his most natural element – the woods behind his house. Jim promotes mental health, and I wanted the target audience to get that at first glance.
It’s no accident that I pushed the book up so it’s slightly breaking into Jim’s plane above. I want my book cover noticed!
As with all my lead generating websites, I quickly provide lots of credibility: Starting with his 5-star Amazon rating. I hand-picked the testimonials from his Amazon page, quickly followed by his podcast appearances on my show, Over Fifty Starting Over. I’m actively reviewing other podcasts to get him on for more book exposure.
Below that are his other books – not so much for their promotion, but to signify that Jim is a seasoned, professional author, not a one hit wonder. And to end things, one last Call To Action (CTA) to buy the book.
Click below to go to website
Note the animation of the elements to add more engagement
Never underestimate the mobile experience for book promotions
Analytics show that 42% of our viewers are coming via mobile devices, so the same intentions need to be communicated on them. I used a vertical version of the hero art and pushed the book up over Jim’s feet to hasten exposure. I also adjusted text sizing for better pacing and readability.
Jim Paluch | author
Barry Edwards has been a vital part of every creative project at JP Horizons for over 30 years. He always brings the design energy and expertise we need, and every collaboration is a fun adventure, yielding great results. When I asked Barry to create the cover for my newest book, “The Depressed Motivational Speaker”, he not only met with me to get an understanding of the content, but he read the entire book to make sure he represented it accurately.
– Jim Paluch
Click below to go the process of designing and illustrating this book cover
Other cover art design/illustration
“Leaving a Legacy” book cover art
I designed this book cover in approximately 2004 for Jim Paluch. It’s an aspiring piece of fiction that follows three elderly men stuck in their life patterns that eventually learn that it’s never too late to leave a legacy in this world.
I remember Jim and I taking a walk through the woods discussing the book and it’s title. He was originally going to call it “Old Wood Flowers”, but together we decided Leaving a Legacy had more direct impact. Needless to say, the concept of being carved in stone speaks to the permanance of the impact we can have long after we’re gone.
TorchLight magazine cover art
Another cover that I created in 2004. This was commissioned by the Cleveland Advertising Association. They used to put out a monthly magazine called Torchlight.
The interesting aspect of this, is that I took this picture in Cleveland’s Little Italy in 1998 with a 1.6 megapixel Olympus digital camera — laughably low resolution by today’s standards. But with a variety of techniques, I was able to bring out the detail that I wanted and create a rustic italian flavor to the art.
Automotive restoration retro brand art
I created this logo and poster design for my former client in Cleveland Heights. They’ve since retired.
The owners were a couple of really good guys — always fair and honest with their customers and I wanted to capture that retro feeling with this poster art which also functioned as a print advertisement.
Cover art for Urban League’s RealSource Management Consultants
I was commissioned by the Urban League of Cleveland to create a brand image piece that would speak to the diversity and professionalism of their new RealSource Management Consultants program.
Upon revealing the color proof for the first time, the Director literally jumped up from his seat and said, “Damn, Barry! You’re the man!”
