Music & culture
4AD RecordsBeautiful, and a little haunted.
Distressed photographic texture, etched line drawings, and dreamlike collage at the wrong scales, all steeped in deep red, brown, and bone white.
Make it yoursA good fit for
Gothic poetry, literary ghost stories, and dreamlike novels.
A little art direction
Let the author sit small and half-hidden; this style treats type as texture. In the notes combine two unrelated objects at mismatched scales.
The palette
From these words to these book covers
Now make it yours See the style in action.
Open larger viewFiction or poetryNight Bloom
Open larger viewFiction or poetryThe Lantern Keeper
Open larger viewFiction or poetryThe Tallow Works
Open larger viewFiction or poetryThe Cartographer of Fog
Open larger viewFiction or poetryThe Glasshouse
Real generated examples; your own result will vary. The exact prompt behind each one is further down the page.
Your idea, this style
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The prompts behind these book covers.
Each cover above was generated from the prompt below it, unedited. Copy one as-is or change the details. Your image-making app may interpret the style differently each time.
Fiction or poetry · GPT Image 2.5 SunburstNight BloomRead the exact prompt
Create a finished front cover for a work of fiction, in a 2:3 portrait aspect ratio. Produce the flat front cover artwork only, without spine, back cover, book mockup, or shelf. COVER TEXT Use the following book information exactly as written. The labels before each colon are for you, not for the cover; print only the text after them. Do not invent extra text, quotes, or awards. Title: Night Bloom Subtitle: Poems Author: Ada Merrow Publisher: Posterage Press ART DIRECTION Interpret the supplied brief in 4AD Records style. Visual vocabulary: distressed photographic texture as background or primary image; etched or engraved line drawing overlaid on photography; gothic romantic imagery — architecture, natural forms, decay; dreamlike collage combining incompatible elements at wrong scales; rich dark tones with areas of intense colour. Lettering direction: type used sparingly — band name often small or partially obscured; delicate serif or custom letterforms; text as texture rather than clear information. Suggested colors: dark — deep red, black, brown, bone white, occasional vivid green or blue. Composition: image-led; text placed quietly within or below the dominant visual. Atmosphere: gothic romantic, dreamlike, beautiful darkness, underground. Keep out of the design: clean Swiss clarity, bright cheerful colours, craft-fair aesthetics, artificial yellowing or ageing. Apply the visual language to the supplied brief; do not invent historical affiliations, endorsements, or extra copy. ILLUSTRATION NOTES A moth the size of a cathedral resting on a distressed photograph of a blooming flower. These notes guide the imagery; do not print them as text. Make the title the strongest text element and the author name the second. Keep everything else small. Check spelling and retain the supplied wording. Do not include these instructions, labels, watermarks, or extra slogans in the artwork.
Fiction or poetry · GPT Image 2.5 SunburstThe Lantern KeeperRead the exact prompt
Create a finished front cover for a work of fiction, in a 2:3 portrait aspect ratio. Produce the flat front cover artwork only, without spine, back cover, book mockup, or shelf. COVER TEXT Use the following book information exactly as written. The labels before each colon are for you, not for the cover; print only the text after them. Do not invent extra text, quotes, or awards. Title: The Lantern Keeper Author: Hollis Pine Tagline: A ghost story for winter nights ART DIRECTION Interpret the supplied brief in 4AD Records style. Visual vocabulary: distressed photographic texture as background or primary image; etched or engraved line drawing overlaid on photography; gothic romantic imagery — architecture, natural forms, decay; dreamlike collage combining incompatible elements at wrong scales; rich dark tones with areas of intense colour. Lettering direction: type used sparingly — band name often small or partially obscured; delicate serif or custom letterforms; text as texture rather than clear information. Suggested colors: dark — deep red, black, brown, bone white, occasional vivid green or blue. Composition: image-led; text placed quietly within or below the dominant visual. Atmosphere: gothic romantic, dreamlike, beautiful darkness, underground. Keep out of the design: clean Swiss clarity, bright cheerful colours, craft-fair aesthetics, artificial yellowing or ageing. Apply the visual language to the supplied brief; do not invent historical affiliations, endorsements, or extra copy. ILLUSTRATION NOTES An etched lantern floating over a distressed photo of a ruined chapel, wrong scales. These notes guide the imagery; do not print them as text. Make the title the strongest text element and the author name the second. Keep everything else small. Check spelling and retain the supplied wording. Do not include these instructions, labels, watermarks, or extra slogans in the artwork.
Fiction or poetry · GPT Image 2.5 SunburstThe Tallow WorksRead the exact prompt
Create a finished front cover for a work of fiction, in a 2:3 portrait aspect ratio. Produce the flat front cover artwork only, without spine, back cover, book mockup, or shelf. COVER TEXT Use the following book information exactly as written. The labels before each colon are for you, not for the cover; print only the text after them. Do not invent extra text, quotes, or awards. Title: The Tallow Works Subtitle: A novel Author: Dara Fenwick Publisher: Barbary Coast Press ART DIRECTION Interpret the supplied brief in 4AD Records style. Visual vocabulary: distressed photographic texture as background or primary image; etched or engraved line drawing overlaid on photography; gothic romantic imagery — architecture, natural forms, decay; dreamlike collage combining incompatible elements at wrong scales; rich dark tones with areas of intense colour. Lettering direction: type used sparingly — band name often small or partially obscured; delicate serif or custom letterforms; text as texture rather than clear information. Suggested colors: dark — deep red, black, brown, bone white, occasional vivid green or blue. Composition: image-led; text placed quietly within or below the dominant visual. Atmosphere: gothic romantic, dreamlike, beautiful darkness, underground. Keep out of the design: clean Swiss clarity, bright cheerful colours, craft-fair aesthetics, artificial yellowing or ageing. Apply the visual language to the supplied brief; do not invent historical affiliations, endorsements, or extra copy. ILLUSTRATION NOTES A giant etched candle dripping over a distressed photograph of tiny factory rooftops. These notes guide the imagery; do not print them as text. Make the title the strongest text element and the author name the second. Keep everything else small. Check spelling and retain the supplied wording. Do not include these instructions, labels, watermarks, or extra slogans in the artwork.
Fiction or poetry · GPT Image 2.5 SunburstThe Cartographer of FogRead the exact prompt
Create a finished front cover for a work of fiction, in a 2:3 portrait aspect ratio. Produce the flat front cover artwork only, without spine, back cover, book mockup, or shelf. COVER TEXT Use the following book information exactly as written. The labels before each colon are for you, not for the cover; print only the text after them. Do not invent extra text, quotes, or awards. Title: The Cartographer of Fog Author: Elias Warrender Tagline: A city that redraws itself every night Publisher: Twin Peaks Editions ART DIRECTION Interpret the supplied brief in 4AD Records style. Visual vocabulary: distressed photographic texture as background or primary image; etched or engraved line drawing overlaid on photography; gothic romantic imagery — architecture, natural forms, decay; dreamlike collage combining incompatible elements at wrong scales; rich dark tones with areas of intense colour. Lettering direction: type used sparingly — band name often small or partially obscured; delicate serif or custom letterforms; text as texture rather than clear information. Suggested colors: dark — deep red, black, brown, bone white, occasional vivid green or blue. Composition: image-led; text placed quietly within or below the dominant visual. Atmosphere: gothic romantic, dreamlike, beautiful darkness, underground. Keep out of the design: clean Swiss clarity, bright cheerful colours, craft-fair aesthetics, artificial yellowing or ageing. Apply the visual language to the supplied brief; do not invent historical affiliations, endorsements, or extra copy. ILLUSTRATION NOTES An etched compass rose dissolving into a distressed photograph of fog-filled streets. These notes guide the imagery; do not print them as text. Make the title the strongest text element and the author name the second. Keep everything else small. Check spelling and retain the supplied wording. Do not include these instructions, labels, watermarks, or extra slogans in the artwork.
Fiction or poetry · GPT Image 2.5 SunburstThe GlasshouseRead the exact prompt
Create a finished front cover for a work of fiction, in a 2:3 portrait aspect ratio. Produce the flat front cover artwork only, without spine, back cover, book mockup, or shelf. COVER TEXT Use the following book information exactly as written. The labels before each colon are for you, not for the cover; print only the text after them. Do not invent extra text, quotes, or awards. Title: The Glasshouse Subtitle: A novel Author: Mira Solano Publisher: Posterage Press ART DIRECTION Interpret the supplied brief in 4AD Records style. Visual vocabulary: distressed photographic texture as background or primary image; etched or engraved line drawing overlaid on photography; gothic romantic imagery — architecture, natural forms, decay; dreamlike collage combining incompatible elements at wrong scales; rich dark tones with areas of intense colour. Lettering direction: type used sparingly — band name often small or partially obscured; delicate serif or custom letterforms; text as texture rather than clear information. Suggested colors: dark — deep red, black, brown, bone white, occasional vivid green or blue. Composition: image-led; text placed quietly within or below the dominant visual. Atmosphere: gothic romantic, dreamlike, beautiful darkness, underground. Keep out of the design: clean Swiss clarity, bright cheerful colours, craft-fair aesthetics, artificial yellowing or ageing. Apply the visual language to the supplied brief; do not invent historical affiliations, endorsements, or extra copy. ILLUSTRATION NOTES An etched greenhouse overgrown with vines, floating over a distressed photograph of hands. These notes guide the imagery; do not print them as text. Make the title the strongest text element and the author name the second. Keep everything else small. Check spelling and retain the supplied wording. Do not include these instructions, labels, watermarks, or extra slogans in the artwork.
Prompt version 1 · 5 generated examples · Copy-and-paste guide →
