My book cover is almost ready. There are just a few little tweaks to make and it will be finalised.

I wonder how much anguish the design team had to go through to accommodate my very particular requests. Despite this, they have done a fantastic job.

I've learned a few things through this:

1) Specific instructions give much better results

I noticed that when my instructions were even slightly vague, the draft cover did not turn out the way I imagined. With more specific, sometimes seemingly ridiculously so, instructions, the drafts get much closer to what I imagined.

2) Effective communication is two-way

We hear this all the time but this experience really cemented it for me. Things became easier once we were able to hear each other think and receive feedback at the same time. This was often done through Skype calls and communication was much clearer when there is feedback, even if it is just a repeat of what you just said.

3) Attitude counts

The design team was ever polite and encouraging even when I wanted to do major overhauls or went MIA for periods of time. For this, I am deeply impressed. Their positive attitude makes me want to work with them for the long-term and, I think, in any industry, this is the way it should be.