Despite the saying, people still often judge a book by its cover. It’s the first point of contact a reader will have with your book, so it’s important it grabs their attention. Humans are visual beings, and we absorb and process information based on what we see.
In this article, you’ll learn what makes a good book cover and how to go about the process. Get familiar with the different elements to take note of, some best practices, steps to create a book cover design, and how to get professional help.
The cover should be a representation of what the book’s about without giving it all away. Good design is more than just colors and shapes, it’s how all these visuals work together to tell a story. The primary function of good book cover design is to hook someone into picking up your book and getting them to read it.
Once you know who your ideal reader is, you can figure out which direction to take your design.
Let's get into the next steps on how to create a great cover for your book.
Before you dive into designing your book cover, create a mood board to help you visualize what you want your cover to look like. It’s a useful way to piece together elements that will guide your design process. There are no rules for creating a mood board; you can work with a digital (using tools like Pinterest or Canva) or physical board, whatever works for you.
Once you've gathered inspiration and figured out what the cover should look like, it's time to start the actual design. Begin with laying out your design elements; how you balance the space, size, and position of each will determine the look, and ultimately, the success of your design.
This visual hierarchy helps draw attention to the important elements of your book cover. Play around with the size, placement, and position until you’re happy with the outcome. The point is to make sure your layout is cohesive and draws attention to the right places.
Fonts can convey the mood of your book. Each font has its own artistic style, and choosing the right one can impact how your book is perceived - is it modern, professional, academic, etc.? You can use more than one font on your book cover, but don't go crazy. Typically, keeping it to a maximum of three fonts (main font for the title, second font for things like author name, and third font for small details like publisher name) is a great way to add visual interest without overwhelming the design.
People have strong emotional reactions and associations with colors. This concept is called color psychology, and if you understand it, you can choose a color palette to evoke the emotional response you want from your audience. For example, seeing a book about meditation in hues of green and blue can help your audience feel calm and serene. On the other hand, a book about making money with a pop of red can make readers feel passion and excitement.
You don't have to include graphic elements in your book design, but in most cases, it can make your design feel more alive. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to choosing graphic elements. The best strategy? Think about your message and then experiment with elements until you find ones that work.
For example, a book on a particular city could include a picture of the city skyline or a children’s book could include illustrations of the characters. These graphics can help improve the messaging of your book, so choose ones that not only look great, but also tell a story.
Now that you know more about what makes up a good book cover, let's take a look at some examples and see why they’re so good:
The cover for Tim Ferris's "Tools of the Giants" uses color to help the title stand out, while the interesting font combinations add to the visual appeal.
A good cover design should reflect the content of the book. This background of the night sky with twinkling stars and a crescent moon - what could be better associated with sleep?
This book explores the experience of the famous climber Alex Honnold. What could be more fitting than a picture of him in action? It teases the adventure that awaits readers.
The cover is like a sneak-peak of what to expect from the book. People should be able to tell if they’re holding an epic adventure story or an educational book.
The ideal software needs to be affordable, functional, intuitive, and user-friendly. We highly recommend using Canva, which is a great option for creating professional-looking designs.
If you have the budget to hire a professional, here are a few points to keep in mind while searching for a designer to collaborate with.
Many first-time authors don’t have tons of money to spend on a book cover. Additional artwork like a photoshoot or some custom illustrations can significantly increase costs as all those things are made from scratch. On average, you’re looking at upwards of $300-600.
The best place to start is to look at book covers you like, and find the designers behind them.You can also find designers on sites like Behance (a portfolio site for designers) and Fiverr.
Now that you know where to find designers and what makes up a good book cover design, you’re ready to take what you’ve learned into actionable steps. Book covers play a big role in marketing your book, so create something your readers will want to pick up.
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