Trapped Self Help Book Cover Design (Featuring silhouettes, vine, and unhappy couple)

Visuals: A somber, muted background with an illustration of an unhappy couple, their silhouettes barely touching, standing back-to-back. A transparent, subtle image of a gnarled vine wraps around them, symbolizing entrapment. The background fades from dark at the top to lighter at the bottom, suggesting a faint but distant hope.

Typography: Use a serif font like Garamond for the title to give it a classic and serious appearance. The author's name is in a smaller sans-serif font, such as Helvetica, placed at the bottom of the cover.

Layout: The title is prominently placed at the top, followed by the subtitle in a slightly smaller size. The unhappy couple illustration is centered. The vine image wraps around and above the couple symbolically. The author's name appears at the bottom in a modest size.

Explanation: The illustrative composition of an unhappy couple surrounded by vines visually captures the emotion of feeling trapped in a marriage. The gradient background adds a layer of depth, fading from dark to light to imply a glimmer of hope. Garamond was chosen for the title to resonate seriousness and gravity, which is fitting for a self-help genre. Helvetica offers balance in simplicity for the author's name. The matte finish of the cardstock gives a non-reflective, calming effect, while the embossed title allows readers to physically interact with the book, adding to the tangible impact of the subject matter.