Black Horror Book Cover Design (Evoking horror, sad, and reflection)

Visuals: The cover features a dark, shattered mirror spreading uneven cracked edges. In the reflection, there is a haunting figure – a man – half of his face resembling the protagonist, and the other half shadowy and distorted, giving him an otherworldly, unsettling appearance. The background is a misty grayscale room with faint traces of orange flickering light, resembling fire embers. The sad and hollow eyes of both figures dominate the center of the cover, drawing the viewer’s attention. Shadows creep across the bottom, merging into the black foreground.

Typography: The title "Beneath Their Eyes" is in a distorted, sharp serif font with jagged edges, resembling cracks in glass. It's positioned across the top and is glowing faintly in a muted orange, making it pop against the black and gray. The author's name, "Dwayne Jules Bali," sits at the bottom in a clean, sleek sans-serif font in white-gray, smaller but clearly readable.

Layout: The mirror sits in the center, taking up approximately 70% of the cover’s width. The title spans across the upper one-third of the cover, and the author’s name lies at the lower edge in slightly smaller text. All visual elements are balanced with enough contrast to ensure clarity while maintaining the eerie aesthetic. The orange ember-like lighting adds depth and frames the elements subtly.

Explanation: The visual composition employs a central motif of a shattered mirror to symbolize broken identities and swapped lives, creating an immediate connection to the story’s themes. The half-human, half-supernatural figure evokes both fear and an unsettling sadness, aligning seamlessly with the genre and emotional tone. The typography, featuring a jagged serif font with muted orange glow, complements the horror aesthetic while standing out against the dark background. The choice of matte black paper with soft-touch finish provides a stark, dramatic contrast, while the spot-gloss accents highlight pivotal design elements like the mirror and lighting. This adds both depth and subtle luxury, making it visually striking, genre-appropriate, and memorable to potential readers.