This cover references ’70s education films, which seemed appropriate since the book is a collection of humorous essays by men about what they have learned from their failed relationships. The red fingernails end up being an important detail: they define the hands as the “dumper” (she) and the heart as the “dump-ed” (he)—sexy and bitter, yet cold and funny.

One of the main compositional challenges was the amount of typography, especially the length of the title. The hope was that the typography would reinforce the cold scientific feeling expressed by the image.

The straightforward, simple presentation belies a sly wit. It evokes high-school health class, which is, perhaps, a fertile time for broken hearts.