Dark City Designs

Closing Up Shop (Sort of)

I've been giving this a lot of thought over the last few months and I think it's time. This isn’t a post I ever thought I’d write, but here we are.

Effective immediately, I’m closing out all premade cover designs and Dark City Designs is shifting to custom work only — and even that will be extremely limited. The short version? AI has changed the game. Sales have dropped drastically, and trying to keep up with a flood of machine-generated content just isn’t something I’m willing (or able) to do.

I cannot and will not turn to using generative AI as a creative tool just to stay in business — not when it comes at the cost of the artists whose work was scraped without consent to train the very tools destroying their livelihoods. I built Dark City Designs on human connection, human creativity, and a deep respect for the craft. I’m not bending now.

I've spent years building Dark City Designs, pouring myself into each cover I created. Each one was a story to me — not just yours, but mine too. Lately, though, the spark’s been harder to find. When the joy starts slipping, it’s time to make a change.

I’m also downsizing my online presence. Less noise. Less pressure. More space to create intentionally — or not at all, if that’s what the day calls for; so please bear with me as I move my website to a less cumbersome and costly platform.

If you’ve been eyeing a premade, now’s your last shot. My entire premade portfolio is 50% off. Once they're gone, they're gone.

I'll still take on custom projects, but I’m being selective. If you're looking for a human-created design to wrap your human-created stories and we’re on the same wavelength, I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks to everyone who's ever shared my work, hired me, or just dropped a kind word along the way. I built something I was proud of — and that’s because of you.

Reach me at [email protected] for custom inquiries.

Go to darkcitydesign.com/book-online to schedule your custom cover now before my calendar fills up!