Book Design: Fundamentals of Book Cover Design

The art of book cover design is like a double edged sword. On one hand if done correctly you can get book covers that are magnificent to behold, their colors completely complementing one another and the images on the cover totally capturing the essence of the book. On the other hand if done wrong, book covers can become a total disaster. They could come out as classroom project disasters, with gaudy color combinations that hurts the eyes and book art that nowhere near complements the story. This is why you should know the true subtleties of book cover design.

Here are some essential aspects of book cover design.

Focus on the concept of the book

Any book designer worth their salt should know that one of the fundamental elements of good book cover design is focus on a concept. The mistake that some book designers make is that they bombard the book cover with a myriad of images and colors that nowhere near does the book any justice. One thing that book designers should first do is to consult with the author and ask the story or the concept of the book. Once you get the concept you can get started on the design cover. Do not overuse too many images because it will only make it look gaudy and cheap looking. Be sure on the genre of the book, because nothing is more embarrassing and grave a mistake than getting the genre wrong.

Pay attention on the most minute of details.

Book design can be considered as a very exact art. This is because the most minute of details could make or break a book. The main thing to remember is that the book cover should interpret to the reader the theme of the book.

Be minimalistic in your approach to book cover design

Minimalism is a great concept to follow when it comes to creating a book design. While in some cases more is always better, when it comes to book cover design, less is always better. The use of just one or two images highlights the topic of the book and unclutters the book cover of unnecessary eyesores. You should also use only a few colors because using a myriad of colors will destroy the ambiance of your book and instead make it chaotic and look extremely dirty.

Get inspiration from other book covers

Use other book covers as inspiration and a source of fresh ideas. You should look at award winning book covers and see how they were done. Pick out certain nuances that you can emulate in your own work.

Things that you should avoid doing when you are creating a book cover is using overwrought or exaggerated typography that destroys the books overall image. Using stock images should also be used with caution. Although it might come out beautifully, it can also come out bad, really bad. It should also be taken into account that you should not make your book covers too complicated, like adding unnecessary images and artwork. This would only confuse readers and make your book cover look cluttered and senseless.

Another mistake by some bookventure book designers is that they make the author name bigger than the book title. This is a big mistake because unless you are Stephen King or another bestselling author it won’t work, and will only make it look ungainly and unattractive. Another common mistake is unattractive back covers, this is because most people look to the back of the book to see the synopsis of the book. And if the back of the book does not match the front cover it will ruin the reader’s perceptions on the book.

All in all what you should always remember when it comes to book design is that you should always pay close attention to detail and always be willing to go the extra mile. The book cover is one of the main factors whether your book will be a success or not.