A reader would probably be able to tell a former NIC student’s book by its cover. After all, author Abin Tom Sebastian designed it himself as part of his capstone project.

He graduated from the college’s Communication Design Diploma program in 2025 and used his capstone project—a final assignment to show a student’s abilities and interests—to support his book. In instructor Claire Guiot’s class, he researched his target audience and created the cover, illustrations, typesetting and marketing for Morbid Kuriosity’s Strange and Unexplained Incidents.

It is common for authors to have little to no say on covers, but Schiffer Publishing accepted Sebastian’s own design. The company is a traditional publisher based in Pennsylvania that was established in 1974.

Sebastian’s artwork went through about 50 revisions, as he and Guiot exchanged design ideas before the final version.

“Claire helped me in finding the right look, the right theme,” he said. “It all turned out great.”

Guiot said the capstone project is important for students like Sebastian in defining their professional identity as they enter an industry.

“It’s such a gift when you get a student like him who is passionate, hardworking and open to feedback,” she said. “We had a lot of fun working on his book. As with any design project, there was some exploration and a few rabbit holes, but each iteration helped shape the final result.”

Sebastian also studied creative writing at NIC to help with his accounts of paranormal phenomena, strange historical events, unsolved mysteries and other dark curiosities that fascinate people around the world—and that have fascinated him since he was young. Growing up in the Kerala region of southern India, he turned to Stephen King and R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books.

“Those are all staples to me,” he said.

Sebastian had written a fantasy novel but found fiction a difficult market, so he started writing short pieces about his lifelong obsession. Chapters include “Canada’s Most Haunted Road,” “The Boeing That Vanished” and “The Cursed Car of James Dean.” He also has a blog, which has helped him hone his craft and develop an audience.

“The blog, for me, is a foundation stone for what led to the book,” he said. “Every day, I find at least one or two topics.”

While still in India, Sebastian earned his Bachelor of Animation and Graphic Design and wanted to do a master’s in Canada but was a year short to meet requirements. When he found NIC, he knew its multi-faceted program would help him match his writing and design ideas.

The program is rigorous, says Guiot, who adds it would be difficult to get the students job-ready in two years if they did not have such a hands-on approach.

“Because we have small classes, we can work closely with the students and get to know both what they struggle with and what motivates them,” she said.

The program helped Sebastian with skills like graphic and web design, search engine optimization and social media. In six months he more than doubled his Instagram profile of 210,000 followers. It’s now grown to more than half a million.

Sebastian credits NIC for helping him along his path, including Global Engagement for helping him adjust to life in Canada, the NIC Foundation for financial awards, library staff for research assistance and his instructors.

“They actually care for the student. It’s not superficial,” he said. “It’s just the perfect program.

Since finishing at NIC last year, he has not only launched his book, but the program helped him find his day job as Social Media and Marketing Specialist for Arbutus RV & Marine Sales in the Comox Valley.

Since its release in June, the book has sold through available inventory twice at Amazon, Indigo and Barnes & Noble. It can be found online and at a growing number of places, not only on Vancouver Island but faraway locales like the Saskatoon Public Library and New York City’s Strand Books, renowned for its “18 miles of books.” It has received positive press from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, and Sebastian was even interviewed by Chicago TV station WGN.

For more information, see Morbidkuriosity.com.