A reimagined cover for Saiyaara (2025)

The Brief

This project was part of a Skillshare course on book cover design. The brief asked to reimagine a favourite book, but I took it a step further. I reimagined a movie as a book. Specifically, Saiyaara!
A film that stayed with me long after I walked out of the theatre.

The Concept

Most romantic novel covers today go one of two ways. Abstract typography-led layouts, or faceless couple silhouettes. I deliberately broke both conventions. The characters are front and centre, illustrated, expressive, because in Saiyaara, the characters are the story.

The entire emotional core of this film lives in one exchange. She asks: "Even after all this time?" He answers: "Forever and ever and ever."

That's it. That's the book. I designed everything around making that promise visible.

The Design Decisions

The two lines of dialogue are arched around the characters, and not placed below or above them, but between them, like the words exist in the space they share. That was intentional. The promise isn't a caption. It's part of the moment.

The illustration style is warm and editorial, referencing the original movie poster composition but reinterpreted through a hand-crafted aesthetic that feels more intimate, more like something you'd hold in your hands than watch on a screen.

The title I Will Love You Till Infinity sits heavy at the bottom in bold, textured, grounded style anchoring all that softness above it.

Tools

Adobe Illustrator - illustration and typography
Adobe Photoshop — compositing and mockup

What I Learned

A book cover isn't decoration. It's the first sentence of the story. Every choice from where the type sits, what the characters' hands are doing, how much sky you leave, is narrative. This project taught me to design with intent, not instinct alone.