Excitement around Chimamanda Adichie’s new book Dream Count has been building for months. Along with her many fans, we are thrilled at her return to long-form fiction after 12 long years. Apart from the gorgeous storytelling, Adichie’s novels are also known for their stunning covers.

Set to publish on March 4, 2025, Dream Count tells the stories of four women, reflecting on happiness, love, and longing in our increasingly interconnected world. The novel will have a Nigerian release featuring a dark, starry cover and a US and UK release with a bold color mimicking a flame.

We had the opportunity to talk to Gbenga Adebayo, the designer for Dream Count for our #CoverStory series where book designers and artists get to share behind-the-scenes details on creating book covers. We talked about the vision behind the two gorgeous versions of the cover, what it was like working with Adichie, and advice for aspiring cover designers.

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Brittle Paper

Hi Gbenga. First of all, congrats on the book design of Dream Count. It is stunning! What do you hope readers take away from the design before they even open the book?

Gbenga Adebayo

Thank you so much for the kind words. I have been very anxious as to how the design would be received. We liked it in-house but we worried. What readers take away from the design? I want the design to make the reader to consider what this book is about to offer them. I want the design’s simplicity and boldness to remind readers of Chimamanda Adichie’s understated writing style. We will not be loud, we will not be undermined by the need to over-design. The book is the point. Read it.

Brittle Paper

Can you walk us through your creative process? What were your initial thoughts or inspirations when you started?

Gbenga Adebayo

How much time do you have? Because it was a long and torturous process. I became aware of the brief back in September of 2024. At the time, our editorial department was going to outsource the design to a more experienced designer, someone who has been a teacher of mine, and whose work I respect. I asked for a chance to compete, and my bosses, Narrative Landscape Press’ co-founders, Anwuli Ojogwu and Eghosa Imasuen, acquiesced. They said, why not. Go ahead.

Usually, I begin my designs with a mind cleanse. I free my thoughts and read excerpts of the book. I am supported in this by our associate editor, Joy Chime. She sends me synopses and opinions on the text, and I combine this with several ideas that I have always wanted to explore and create at least four-five unique designs for the editorial team to appraise. My first few designs were atrocious. Not bad bad, but soulless. Even I could tell. At the time, my inspiration was the plot elements of the book, and these seemed too try-hard. But as the weeks turned into months, I would hear that everyone involved was having a hard time coming up with a design. The global announcement of the book on 3 October came and went and we still did not have a satisfactory design for our Nigerian edition. I understand that Dr Eghosa eventually involved Ms Adichie in the design process. Her help was invaluable. She wanted something classic. She was worried about cover designs that played too closely to plot elements of their books, that felt too unsure of themselves. This became my inspiration. Starting in December, we jumped back into the process. Our new energy was kickstarted by involving Victor Ehikhamenor—the artist who worked on the Chimamanda’s first novel, Purple Hibiscus’ Nigerian Edition—in the design process. He sent us over a hundred of his art pieces. Uncle Victor would receive my designs based on selected artwork of his. He would reply with kind scolding and revisions requests. On and on. But the new inspiration remained the same: confident and simple.

Brittle Paper

How did you get to the silver and black design (with the house)? Were there any specific themes or ideas from the book that you wanted to reflect in the cover?

Gbenga Adebayo

It was pretty late in the process. A penultimate set of designs were coloured in midnight blue, inspired by Dr Eghosa standing over my shoulder and insisting on the dark colours. We had elements of Uncle Victor’s art pieces that were centrepieces of this set of designs. We had stars that would have been produced in gold or silver foiling. The company loved my designs, but after conversations with the author, we agreed with her reservations: too much. They were too much and over-elaborate, and would have worked for one or two of her earlier books. That was when Dr Eghosa sent me this screenshot of the cover of a book that was in pure black. White text and black-black. What did I think? I feared that my boss’ pre-occupation with darkness was haunting him again, a joke that I often tease him with. But there was something here. Why play with mid-night blue and stars and all these intricate designs when we would just be simple.

I hope that readers take away the loneliness of a single homestead, the glimmers of hope that the twinkling stars (which will be produced in silver) represent. I hope that when they open the book and see the splash of colour of the “ends” of the hardcover, and the inside cover of the paperback, that then they remember that we don’t play, that we remember who we are.

Brittle Paper

The Nigerian cover took a more monochrome direction, as opposed to the colour-burst of the US and UK editions. What was the thinking behind the starkly different takes?

Gbenga Adebayo

Once we decided on classic and simple, we had to find a way to make our design stand out. And taking this plunge with this design of black and silver foiling is us staking our reputations on this: that confidence sells. I love the international design, and I think it paralysed me for so long: me trying to match it, trying to surpass it.

Readers will find an Easter egg nod to the torturous design process that we endured on the inside cover designs. Remember ROYGBIV, the mnemonic for the colours of the rainbow? That is all I will say.

Brittle Paper

What role did collaboration play in the design process? How did input from Chimamanda Adichie, Eghosa Imasuen, and others influence the final cover?

Gbenga Adebayo

It was invaluable. I could not have done this alone. Dr Eghosa teases me about my degree in Fine Arts. That helped, but without the back-and-forth. Without him and others standing over my shoulders and prodding and helping, we would not have had this done. And I must extend appreciation to Chimamanda Adichie herself. Reading her notes and her kind feedback even as she rejected some of the designs, was a blessing to me.

Brittle Paper

Were there any funny or surprising moments during the back-and-forth of finalizing the cover? For instance, was there any hesitation about using black or silver foil?

Gbenga Adebayo

There was one moment. We had this design, complete and final. But we were still worried and I snuck in an option in the infamous mid-night-blue-and-a-bed-of-stars design from earlier in December. Luckily, the choice was clear. We were going black.

Brittle Paper

Did you face any challenges in the process?

Gbenga Adebayo

The main challenge was the short time. We were paralysed for several months after the international cover reveal occurred and our edition’s cover was still not done. But we rallied, with the help of the outside designer who kept sharing ideas, the work of Victor Ehikhamenor, the prodding of Dr Eghosa, and the feedback from the author herself.

Brittle Paper

Based on comments on social media, fans are loving the cover. How does it feel to see all the praises?

Gbenga Adebayo

They tell me that it was worth it. Even if only a fraction of the fans get what we were going for, then it was worth it. But to see that a majority do get it, that has been very gratifying, and surreal. And like I said, we have a gift for those who want colour.

Brittle Paper

How does it feel to see your work on such a high-profile book?

Gbenga Adebayo

I am honoured to get this opportunity to work on such a high-profile book. All thanks to Narrative Landscape Press for this opportunity at this early stage in my career.

Brittle Paper

The black and silver combination with foil is an ambitious choice. For example, black is a tough colour to print. Do you have thoughts on what it would take to make the cover look as stunning in print as it looks in digital.

Gbenga Adebayo

We were aware of this. And our printer is on notice. They plan to produce the cover specially in several runs of grey and black. With the silver foiling in place of white, the end result will be a glittering effect that will be striking. The physical book will look better than the 3D digital models that we used in the announcement.

One more thing about this cover design is the fact that it will be expensive to pirate. Hopefully readers will be able to discern the difference between our edition, printed in silver on rich black with soft-touch lamination, and any pirated copies that hit the market afterwards.

Brittle Paper

What advice would you give to designers working on book covers for literary icons like Chimamanda Adichie?

Gbenga Adebayo

It will be the same with any design projects for a book. Books are conservative items. Less is usually more. Listen to your team. Recall all of your rejected designs from your career, one of which may just be perfect for the project at hand. Do not be paralysed by fear of the size and prominence of the project. And listen to your ogas, they know what they need. And even though they cannot understand the difference between InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator, their insights can be invaluable to your work.

Lastly, try and read the book you are designing for. At least a fraction of it.

Brittle Paper

Thank you Gbenga, for chatting with us.

Gbenga Adebayo

Thank you so much, Brittle Paper. It has been a pleasant experience.

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Preorder Dream Count by Chimamanda Adichie here!