Inside Scoop: the evolution of a Bible Study cover

I'm really fascinated with behind-the-scenes stuff.  I am sometimes more interested in how and when things work than the thing itself.  I love knowing how Disneyland keeps maintenance out of view of the guests.  I love helping with big events, especially with the people who know how to cook in large batches to feed hundreds.  I love blooper reels, special effects (and how actors film without the special effects in place) and how people design things (especially character model sheets and storyboards for animation).

I'm pretty sure there are others who enjoy this kind of stuff too, so today I thought I would share the evolution of the cover for the upcoming Journal and Doodle through Philippians.  This was a particularly difficult cover to create for a few reasons:

1.  It had to have a standard template that could be easily changed for future studies yet have the same overall look to make it obvious it was part of a series.

2.  It had to impart that it was a different, creative approach to Bible study, but wasn't a kid's study or a coloring book.

3.  It had to catch the eye and make someone want to pick it up and flip through on a store shelf.

4.  I wanted it to have lots of white space and high "breathability" (a feel of relaxation and calm, not a cover so busy I felt stressed out and like I couldn't breathe).

So with all that in mind, I set out to create a new cover to use for this and future (and updated past) studies...  All these covers were created on PicMonkey (I pay for the full version, it's a great deal!).

Too plain and yet too busy, no breathability... though I like the font.

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Adding a few bigger details gave the eye a place to rest, but it looks too much like a kids' study.

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Changing up some colors to be more "growth" like, but still too much like a kids' study.  (This gradient of shading from yellow to green was a time-consuming but fun experiment.) This font is nice too.

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For some reason this color scheme reminded me of Pillsbury, and I can't breathe.   Not going to work.  

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Interesting, but would be hard to make this look like part of a series. 
Plus, I've been told, repeatedly, that I need my name on the cover, and where would it fit?

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I LOVE these colors.  The gradient at the top and the pencils... but the pencils didn't really have anything to do with anything... and how would it be a good series cover?  Ugh!

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Too "Guideposts" geriatric.  Walk toward the light... nope.

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I love how soft and pretty this is.  Getting closer to where I think I want it to be, but this, again would be hard to do as a series.  Would each study have a different flower?  And it's soooo BUSY I'm suffocating. But I like the white line framing it.  I think I like frames...

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Better!  Closer!  The pic in the center could easily be changed for a different photo for each different study... There is room for my name and all the info I wanted, but it doesn't show the CREATIVITY part!  So very close though, and that frame is good, but two is too many (around the edge and around the photo).

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And after a few more tweaks, it was close, close, close.  BUT WHERE does the "creativity" show that this is different than other fill-in-the-blank studies?  And what about just the top and bottom of the frame?  I like it.  Close!

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AND.... after a few more tries...

And after taking a break for a few weeks and trying to think on other things, a "ripped" cover came to mind.  YES!
Show a "rip" and behind that show doodles from the study!  YESSSS!!! 
It is easy to change the photo, words, and colors for other studies, yet keep the series feel. 
It would (hopefully) impart that it is a different kind of Bible study for adults, without confusing it for a kids' study. 
And it would (hopefully) make someone want to pick it up and flip through it...
and I can breathe!

So, that's where I settled.  It took over 35 tries to get this cover, hours and hours of work, and bugging a bunch of friends who were good sports and offered great critiques.  I'm feeling pretty confident that it meets all requirements I had hoped it would meet.

This all new Journal and Doodle through Philippians study will be available mid-February 2018!  Be sure to check out all the currently available studies right here.