“Growing Up a Golden Child: The Story of Marhin Chismar” is an autobiography. The cover is an image of my self-portrait painted in oil and the back cover is a photograph of myself in the same pose and lighting. The contrast between the portrait and the photograph signifies the contrast between a formal, fabricated painted image and the real, unmodified image. The title is in metallic gold to represent the special preference that golden children are given and the high achievements that they are expected to earn. The color scheme used is dark green and gold; green not only contrasts beautifully with gold but it also is the background color of the painting, which reflects the color of the eyes in the self-portrait. The summary is placed on the front inside flap of the jacket and the succinct messages are strategically placed on the back to avoid covering up the imagery. Elegant golden graphics are used to hold the negative space between changes in paragraphs. The book is targeted towards those who relate to being a “golden child” or those who feel like the image of themselves has been crafted into a portrait rather than a realistic photograph.