November 2024 | LISLE, IL—InterVarsity Press (IVP) is pleased to announce that seven cover designs were chosen for the 2024 Top Shelf Book Cover Awards by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA).
David Fassett, former Art and Creative Director at IVP, is credited with the designs for all seven award-winning covers. Shane White, IVP’s Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Publicity, said, “David left a legacy of excellence in design at IVP, and we are grateful to ECPA for recognizing his tremendous work.”
During his time at IVP, Fassett said this about his design work: “I think a book cover should truthfully and clearly communicate the gist of the book in a way that is visually compelling with the goal of moving the intended reader to pick up the book (or click on it). The cover should also serve as a visual reminder of the experience that the reader had with the book.”
IVP’s 2024 Top Shelf Book Cover Award designs include:
- Creator: A Theological Interpretation of Genesis 1 by Peter J. Leithart
- Hear Ye the Word of the Lord: What We Miss If We Only Read the Bible by D. Brent Sandy
- Hopeful Lament: Tending Our Grief Through Spiritual Practices by Terra McDaniel
- Lay Me in God’s Good Earth: A Christian Approach to Death and Burial by Kent Burreson and Beth Hoeltke
- Looking Up: A Birder’s Guide to Hope Through Grief by Courtney Ellis
- Ownership: The Evangelical Legacy of Slavery in Edwards, Wesley, and Whitefield by Sean McGever
- The Riches of Your Grace: Living in the Book of Common Prayer by Julie Lane-Gay
Covers are judged by top designers in the publishing industry for their merits in appropriateness for the market, level of conceptual thinking, and quality of execution according to contemporary design standards and aesthetics. The Top Shelf Awards focus solely on these artistic and technical merits, without considering sales performance, reader engagement, or market reach.
Winners are officially announced and presented with an award at ECPA’s annual PubU event, where the industry’s design community gathers to learn and network. Winning book covers and judges’ comments are featured at TopShelfAward.org.
Contact: Krista Clayton, kclayton@ivpress.com
