Art movements
JaponismeSay less. Leave space.
Flat planes of indigo and vermilion, bold outlines, and a cropped off-center subject balanced by a large area of calm empty space.
Make it yoursA good fit for
Nature writing, coastal fiction, and poetry.
A little art direction
Ask for one subject cropped at the edge in the illustration notes, a bird, a branch, a lantern, and leave the rest empty. Keep the subtitle to a few words; the space is the point.
The palette
From these words to these book covers
Now make it yours See the style in action.
Open larger viewNonfictionThe Bay at Dusk
Open larger viewNonfictionA Field Guide to Harbors
Open larger viewFiction or poetryNight Bloom
Open larger viewFiction or poetryLow Tide
Open larger viewFiction or poetryThe Cartographer of Fog
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.
Nonfiction · GPT Image 2.5 SunburstThe Bay at DuskRead the exact prompt
Create a finished front cover for a nonfiction book, 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 Bay at Dusk Subtitle: A natural history of the San Francisco shoreline Author: Ruth Okafor Publisher: Twin Peaks Editions ART DIRECTION Interpret the supplied brief in Japonisme style. Visual vocabulary: flat colour planes without shading; asymmetrical composition; cropped or off-centre focal element; bold outlines around forms; negative space used actively. Lettering direction: clean serif or restrained sans; text subordinate to image. Suggested colors: indigo, vermillion, cream, black, muted grey-green. Composition: asymmetrical; large empty area balanced by dense detail elsewhere. Atmosphere: refined, cross-cultural, quietly striking. Keep out of the design: busy symmetrical layouts, gradient shading, ornate Victorian decoration. Apply the visual language to the supplied brief; do not invent historical affiliations, endorsements, or extra copy. ILLUSTRATION NOTES A heron cropped by the right edge, standing in flat water, the rest of the page empty. 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.
Nonfiction · GPT Image 2.5 SunburstA Field Guide to HarborsRead the exact prompt
Create a finished front cover for a nonfiction book, 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: A Field Guide to Harbors Author: Owen Marram Tagline: Boats, birds, and the tide table Publisher: Foghorn Books ART DIRECTION Interpret the supplied brief in Japonisme style. Visual vocabulary: flat colour planes without shading; asymmetrical composition; cropped or off-centre focal element; bold outlines around forms; negative space used actively. Lettering direction: clean serif or restrained sans; text subordinate to image. Suggested colors: indigo, vermillion, cream, black, muted grey-green. Composition: asymmetrical; large empty area balanced by dense detail elsewhere. Atmosphere: refined, cross-cultural, quietly striking. Keep out of the design: busy symmetrical layouts, gradient shading, ornate Victorian decoration. Apply the visual language to the supplied brief; do not invent historical affiliations, endorsements, or extra copy. ILLUSTRATION NOTES A small fishing boat cropped low left, one gull overhead, wide empty water above. 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 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 Japonisme style. Visual vocabulary: flat colour planes without shading; asymmetrical composition; cropped or off-centre focal element; bold outlines around forms; negative space used actively. Lettering direction: clean serif or restrained sans; text subordinate to image. Suggested colors: indigo, vermillion, cream, black, muted grey-green. Composition: asymmetrical; large empty area balanced by dense detail elsewhere. Atmosphere: refined, cross-cultural, quietly striking. Keep out of the design: busy symmetrical layouts, gradient shading, ornate Victorian decoration. Apply the visual language to the supplied brief; do not invent historical affiliations, endorsements, or extra copy. ILLUSTRATION NOTES A night flower on a branch entering from the top right corner, the page otherwise empty. 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 SunburstLow TideRead 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: Low Tide Author: Owen Marram Tagline: A summer, a harbor, a secret kept too long Publisher: Foghorn Books ART DIRECTION Interpret the supplied brief in Japonisme style. Visual vocabulary: flat colour planes without shading; asymmetrical composition; cropped or off-centre focal element; bold outlines around forms; negative space used actively. Lettering direction: clean serif or restrained sans; text subordinate to image. Suggested colors: indigo, vermillion, cream, black, muted grey-green. Composition: asymmetrical; large empty area balanced by dense detail elsewhere. Atmosphere: refined, cross-cultural, quietly striking. Keep out of the design: busy symmetrical layouts, gradient shading, ornate Victorian decoration. Apply the visual language to the supplied brief; do not invent historical affiliations, endorsements, or extra copy. ILLUSTRATION NOTES A single mooring post with a rope, cropped at the lower left, flat calm water beyond. 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 Japonisme style. Visual vocabulary: flat colour planes without shading; asymmetrical composition; cropped or off-centre focal element; bold outlines around forms; negative space used actively. Lettering direction: clean serif or restrained sans; text subordinate to image. Suggested colors: indigo, vermillion, cream, black, muted grey-green. Composition: asymmetrical; large empty area balanced by dense detail elsewhere. Atmosphere: refined, cross-cultural, quietly striking. Keep out of the design: busy symmetrical layouts, gradient shading, ornate Victorian decoration. Apply the visual language to the supplied brief; do not invent historical affiliations, endorsements, or extra copy. ILLUSTRATION NOTES A hillside street corner with one lamp emerging from a flat fog plane, cropped hard right. 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 →
