I started this project by typing out this word in Illustrator as I was following along. I thought that it'd make for an interesting concept to explore. 

For reference, schadenfraude is a German word that roughly translates to: 

"Schadenfreude is the experience of pleasure, joy, or self-satisfaction that comes from learning of or witnessing the troubles, failures, or humiliation of another. It is one of four related emotions or concepts."

-Wikipedia

I researched and found these great book covers:

Brainstorming:

The quote from the first brainstorming image is taken from the book jacket cover of the first:

"The blessed in the kingdom of heaven will see the punishments of the damned, so that their bliss will be that much greater." - St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, written 1265-1274.

Then I got into illustrator:

It felt a bit empty, so I tweaked and added embellishments. This is where I ended up: