I have to admit that initially I was really disappointed with this spine. After the understated vibrancy of the front cover (post to follow soon), it felt like a bit of an afterthought.

That’s what I thought while I held the book in my hands… But the minute I put it on a crowded shelf, I saw how wrong I was.

Its width is clearly a big advantage. Rather than cramming it full of noise and colour, Jon Gray has wisely used it to create a wide stripe of calm serenity amidst the on-shelf, spine-out chaos.

Its clean, clear colour means it avoids being recessive — instead it breaks up the shelf and draws the eye:

Really satisfying — and a great example of how important it is to test your spine designs in a real-world context (or even, as I did, on your bookshelf at home or in the office).