I would like to first thank everyone for his or her patience.
The contest has been officially reopened and is now a blind contest.
Please start to submit new designs.

The title of the book: Backdoor Into Harvard
1st/Top Tagline: How To Get Admitted To Harvard
2nd/Bottom Tagline: Despite Your GPA, SAT Score, & Background
Author: Arthur Livingston

IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF THE COVER
1. We prefer a white background with a border. This book is not a novel. It is a how-to guide for getting admitted into Harvard.

2. We want Harvard Crimson Red (Hex: #C90016) (RGB: 201, 0, 22) incorporated into the book, and the word “Harvard” on the cover to be this color.

3. We want Vector Graphics.

4. We like the concept of a shield similar to those of Harvard, but we cannot use any of the official Harvard shields. While we like the idea of a shield it is not mandatory. What we are mostly looking to convey is a Backdoor, a secret passage, an alternative route to Harvard that is not commonly known to the public.

5. We also like the concept of a key, keyhole, a lock or possibly an old fashioned door and door knocker to illustrate the heritage that is Harvard. We also like the idea of adding some ivy if its done right and we prefer a minimalist approach.

6. If you can use graphics that appear in 3D (use of shadows), that would be ideal.

We would like the following features in our design:
1) The primary emphasis in the title of the book should be the word “Harvard.” We want the word “Harvard” to pop/really stick out and be clearly identifiable, so in two seconds, people see that Harvard what the book is about.
2) The author’s name should not be too prominent. The author wants his name on the book but wants to keep somewhat of a low profile. So do not bold his name or make it too big. Probably best if the author’s name is located at the very bottom of the cover.

We will need the following cover designs:
1) A 3D book cover that matches the exact picture and background of the image currently on the front page of http://www.getinharvard.com/. Copy the image that is on the home page and place your image over that picture with a clear background.
2) A thumbnail (100x150) for our shopping cart.

Just to reiterate we need a 3d version of the book and thumbnail (100x150) for our shopping cart. to get the 3d version we need please go to http://www.getinharvard.com. Copy the image that is there and place your cover on that image. Thank You all for your efforts.

We have decided we like the white background because it looks more like a how to guide rather than a novel... Look at Anyash's example.. The title is perfect the word Harvard is clear and easy to read and it POPS. We do like pagatana's lock however. Pagatana try doing the same book cover without a key and with the latin words changed to "VE RI TAS" also remove into because it detracts from the Title.

Authors name is Arthur Livingston

* a black

We love the layout and all of the elements of anyash's design including the way the title is laid out, the use of a generic shield, the way Harvard stands out and the borders anchors the book. Anyash we need to see a 3d version such as what Harry Hyatt made and also you need to address the jagged lines on your design. Its not crisp like Harry's design. We need Vector graphics so that everything is crisp and clean. Anyash there is aback smudge on the shield. We also would like the Authors name below the tag line and make that text black instead of red.

Love the direction of the white background design but am concerned about how it would look on a white background web page (like Amazon). The elements are all good but are floating in space to some degree (which is also an element we like). I would like to see some anchor. Maybe an outline or a red stripe across the bottom where the text "How to get admitted..." included inside with white text. Or a subtle border? Maybe consider a triangular page peel at one of the corners? Slightly off white background is another option. Perhaps consider adding some ivy (vines) (like Ivy League) to portrait a heavenly place. These are just some thoughts. Also we need a 3d thumbnail of the book like one of the other designers did on this site. You can grab a reference image on our site getinharvard.com. Also I need a 250 x 250 thumbnail version for our checkout page.