BOOK COVER DESIGN for
HUMALAN SOUNDTRACK
and
selviämisen soittolista

Humalan Soundtrack (The Drunk Soundtrack roughly translated) is a story by author Tiia Mattila about young Iiro. His parents' years of alcoholism and unemployment are everyday for him, as is selling flea market finds to earn money for food. No one at the school has any idea about this, and the neighbors don't know more than the parents' frequent arguments - for now.

Humalan Soundtrack has received several literary recognitions, including the 2026 Topelius Prize and the 2025 Varjo-Savonia Readers' Choice Award. It was also shortlisted for the 2026 Nuori Aleksis Award and the 2025 Savonia Literary Award, and placed second in the 2025 Blogistania Kuopus Award.

I had the privilege of bringing the story of Iiro alive by designing a cover for the book. I wanted to capture the feeling of a crisis lurking around the corner, which Iiro has to deal with. The dark clouds are bringing a storm with them very soon: will Iiro find a way to escape it (other than his headphones), or is he going to face it head on?

The contrast color pairs (purple and yellow and blue and orange) work together for a dramatic effect. The sequel is lighter in its tone story-wise, which I wanted to show in its cover as well.

#bookcoverdesign #illustration