by Ashton Varley
They say "you can't judge a book by its cover," but we all know it certainly does help. Here are some creative tips I have gathered working as a graphic designer over the years. I have worked with many individuals young and old for about every book genre you can imagine. A unique feel is important for every book, and hopefully, this simple guide can help get you started.
1. Start with a Unique Concept
What is your book about? Are there any key elements or symbols? What emotion do you want your cover to evoke? A book cover should have a specific theme, and if you are writing a series, any subsequent novel covers should follow suit of the first.
2. Know Your Audience
In order to know what the book cover should be like, you have to think about the audience. You wouldn't put a pair on converse on the cover of a book geared towards adults, but you might on one for tween girls. Get into their mindset. What would catch their eye? Don't be afraid to ask people of your target audience what would draw their eye.
3. Highlight a single element
One trick to creating an eye-catching cover is to emphasize one element. Highlight that specific symbol or image so it dominates the whole design. Also, think about your visual approach. Does your cover depend on the usage of typography, a photo, or something else?
4. Choose Typefaces Carefully
The font you use can make or break your book cover design. While colors evoke our feelings, typefaces give a personality to a design. Try not to use more than two typefaces to avoid cluttering the cover. Fonts that have a good range of weights and options are your best bet so you can adjust them to tie in amongst the different elements of your cover. Avoid using small font sizes (below 8 points) and do not stack typefaces. Don't outline the type as it can actually make it look less appealing.
5. Think like a reader, not like a writer
More and more books are starting to be sold as ebooks. When all you have is a thumbnail of your cover to make your first impression, you need to think outside the box. (Not literally though.) The fonts you use and how much detail is in the art will look very different in print than it will digitally and should be taken into account when designing a cover.