Dr. Melissa Mondala: Book Cover Design
Project Info
Year
Type
Roles
Tools
Overview
Dr. Melissa Mondala's Embody Lifestyle Medicine is a comprehensive guide to launching a direct care lifestyle medicine startup. It’s a manifesto, a how-to, and a call for change in the American healthcare system—all from a doctor who lived it. My job was to distill the book’s essence into a visually compelling, professional cover that doctors could connect with emotionally and intellectually.
Challenge
As a lifestyle medicine pioneer, Dr. Mondala had a powerful message—but needed a cover that would both align with her personal branding and feel elevated, vibrant, and trustworthy. Her existing brand colours and fonts lacked contrast and punch when applied to print, and the final cover needed to feel bold, clear, and full of life.
Goals
- Ensure the cover aligned visually and energetically with the author’s established personal brand (tone, audience, and credibility)
- Enhance colour contrast and visual clarity to meet accessibility standards—while preserving the integrity of the brand’s existing palette
- Evoke a sense of harmony, optimism, and energetic transformation
Concept
While retaining Melissa’s brand fonts and palette, I introduced a vibrant gradient background to symbolize harmony and renewal—two of the book’s core themes. Her photo, holding an orange (representing health and lifestyle nutrition), becomes the focal point, conveying warmth, approachability, and authority. This design highlights her unique presence as a non-Caucasian doctor on the cover, emphasizing representation and authenticity while supporting the book’s message of integrative, compassionate care.
Approach
- A warm, optimistic gradient evokes the vibrant energy of lifestyle medicine and the harmony it fosters between aligned doctors and healthier patients.
- Dr. Mondala’s welcoming photo and bold, high-contrast typography invite medical professionals to connect with the book’s message of hope and transformation.
- Designed to stand out in a sea of traditional covers, the visual concept offers a fresh, inspiring take on what modern healthcare can look like.
Results
- Embody Lifestyle Medicine launched in February 2025
- Reached #1 Best Seller on Amazon in its first week (Medical Management & Reimbursement)
- Cover praised for feeling modern, energetic, and aligned with the movement’s values
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