Effective book cover design

Elements of a cover its important to pare back an ebook cover to its essential elements and to make some hard choices, given how little cover real estate you have in shopping. The famous animal farm book by george orwell has a beautiful, vintage cover design with red accents. Tell each student that they will be responsible for creating three alternative covers for their book. Its so tempting to think if everyone is doing x and i. People are not likely to download a sample of your book or to buy. Best for when you want to work with a single designer only. Here some writers who have held successful contests on 99designs give you the hints you need.

Your content may include an about the author and about the book section, as well as testimonials, quotes or contact information. Brainstorm design ideas and communicate them to designers. So here are a few tips on ebook cover design, highlighting ways that it differs from printed book covers and things that might help your print cover designs too. Mar 21, 2016 every book deserves a great cover since a book cover is one of the most important marketing features for your book. A successfully designed book cover will convey the tone of your book, will whisper hints without giving it all away, and will excite readers into actually opening up the book and reading. If you have limited time, you can ask them to create one cover. An effective book cover will propel readers to learn whats inside. A book cover design for any author is a combination of extensive research and creative flair from the designer, however it is the research into the design and its drafts which can get overlooked when. Diy book design is created by an author derek murphy for authors. Choose from our library of professionally designed layouts. Start planning and budgeting from the beginning of your writing project. The title should be readable when the cover is used in very small sizes andor in black and white, as it may appear online or in catalogs. These ideas come from titles in a number of genres, including drama, thrillers, art, crime, romance, science and much more.

When you hear about authors being asked to blurb a. Sep 2, 2016 every book deserves a great cover since a book cover is one of the most important marketing features for your book. These 50 awesome book covers will inspire you learn. Here are the 10 biggest things i learned about book cover design during those conversations and also. But although i personally believe in paying professionals, im also aware that some people want to have a go themselves, or need to because of. An effective cover design doesnt just look good on shelves it should also clearly communicate the title, signal the genre, and capture an appropriate audience for that book. Caring about fantastic book cover design is one of those nonnegotiables for all authors. The only people who should consider designing their own covers are professional graphic designersand. Youve done the hard work and created an amazing book. Designing a minimal but effective book cover design in adobe illustrator buy this poster here. Online retailers like amazon do not distinguish between traditional and selfpublished. Here youll see some outstanding photoshop work but are they good book cover designs. Hey authors, graphic designers, and small publishers. Nov 11, 2015 establish a main focus for your cover every book has a story, and you want your cover to reflect that one idea clearly.

Designing a book cover adobe illustrator timelapse duration. Establish a main focus for your cover every book has a story, and you want your cover to reflect that one idea clearly. As already noted, writing a back book blurb is a marketing exercise. Simple and effective motivational book cover design. Top 11 book cover design tips for independent authors designhill. Custom graphic design portfolio book in brushed silver with engraving and cutout treatment. Four requirements for an effective book cover 1106 design. How to make a book cover in photoshop diy book covers. The cover designs in our list are just as diverse as these genres. What makes a good book cover of course, catching a potential bookbuyers eye is only part of mendelsunds job.

Today, some 15 years later, mendelsunds an associate art director at knopf, having designed around 600 covers. This book cover, although it appears quite strange, is probably irresistible to pick up if you were to see in a store. Keep elements on your cover layout to a minimum, and keep them strong. A unique book cover design is a way to attract potential readers and buyers of a book. This inspirational post is all about showing you a great selection of different ways the digital medium is put to use in the modern day world to create illustrations for childrens book covers.

Sep 5, 2018 01 effective book cover lia this book cover has the title, author, publisher logo and graphic illustration in the front cover and spine. How to design an effective book cover contrary to popular belief, people will judge your book by its cover. Design the book title in an interesting way and make sure it stands out. Dec 20, 2010 hi, as hobbyists im not sure how much we can bring to the table weve no aspirations about being more its just fun and so we dont expect to be able to measure success in terms of sales but the issue of cover design is one that weve been tackling. A book cover design for any author is a combination of extensive research and creative flair from the designer, however it is the research into the design and its drafts which can get overlooked when someone decides to make their own. There should be that one element of the design that takes control of the cover and demands your focus. Typography is a real art and sets the best book designers apart from the rest. Know the age group of your young audience and target the cover design to them.

Ebook cover design tips and techniques digital publishing 101. Blurb distinct from the back book cover blurb is this 12 line endorsement of a book by a celebrity or another author that sits on the books front cover. So here are some tips from yvonne shiau, a staff writer for online publishing community reedsy, on how to make your literary masterpiece stand out from the crowd. Make sure it sells out by creating an awesome cover design. The character design, varied bright color scheme and patterns in the sky makes it stand out like theres no tomorrow. Designing a cover is a long process, requiring preparation, consultations and numerous drafts and adjustments. Book cover design rules, tips and tricks presented by fred showker as part of judging the wiley design challenge.

Choose the mockup design thats most suitable for your branding or promotional purpose. What makes a good book cover of course, catching a potential book buyers eye is only part of mendelsunds job. Jun 09, 2014 book cover success and failure explained by joel friedlander on june 9, 2014 40 comments not that long ago i was asked to create a presentation that would help authors when it came time to design a book cover. Simple and effective motivational book cover design template. Book cover design is a complex balance of images, text, and information and you need someone who understands how each of these elements interacts with the others to best sell your book. There should be that one element of the design that takes control of the. In a store packed with books or sitting at home browsing amazon your book cover design is the most effective way to catch peoples attention. Lets look and learn from 50 fascinating book cover designs. Graphique creative typography graphic design typography typography inspiration graphic design inspiration daily inspiration book cover design. Print out the cover about an inch tall in both color and black and white to test its effectiveness. In case you dont end up reading cover design secrets or watching the videos tutorials, here are my top ten tips on book cover design that will help you. Contrary to popular belief, people will judge your book by its cover.

A 3d book cover is threedimensional image of your cover art i. Learn everything about creating a bestselling book cover design including book cover design tools, tips, tricks and even design services. You can convert a flat design into a 3d cover or group mockup in 3 simple steps. Book cover design book cover designs online designhill. Fix your images, add stunning filters and edit text. An independent author should pay heed to the concept of the cover, colors, typefaces, and simplicity of the design. How to make a book cover in photoshop free book design templates and tutorials so you can make your own book cover. So here are some tips from yvonne shiau, a staff writer for online publishing community reedsy, on. But it should be a scalable design that appears excellent in smaller sizes for online selling of the book. A designer who specializes in book jackets understands how readers respond to layout and typography. Open canva and select the kindle cover design type or insert your own custom dimensions. Choose from over a million free vectors, clipart graphics, vector art images, design templates, and illustrations created by artists worldwide.

Email is very hard to effectively communicate with strangers, especially about abstract concepts like. Minimal book cover design in adobe illustrator cc youtube. How to design an effective ebook cover using adobe indesign. Feb 11, 2018 designing a minimal but effective book cover design in adobe illustrator buy this poster here. This video may go against conventional wisdom or your presuppositions of what a book cover is actually for, but try to keep an open mind. There is one rule above all others in crafting a book cover design that will be competitive in its genre and effective for paid marketing. Test which cover is most effective with your audience while building your email list.

A truly great jacket is one that captures the book inside it in some fundamental and. These 50 awesome book covers will inspire you learn canva. Mise en page portfolio portfolio covers portfolio book. May 17, 2017 if you ask book designers to explain what makes for a great cover, however, they can tell you about how the various design elementsthe typeface, the color scheme, and the compositioncome together to create a visual metaphor for the text. The cover design is a great summative assessment helping you evaluate students comprehension and skill communicating in a visual medium. Dec 28, 2018 a 3d book cover is threedimensional image of your cover art i. But for an effective and successful cover, some foundation design rules and expertise come into play. On covers, effective typography is perhaps the single biggest success factor. Canvas book cover maker makes designing book covers amazingly simple even for nondesigners. Magenta asked 15 book designers to nominate the best covers that they hadnt created themselves. How to make an effective book cover design right now jd. This is a supercreative book cover design with a book in the book kind of concept. Obviously it would be inappropriate for me to attempt to teach you how to design book covers on a web page although many others claim to however, i can share the following rules and tips to get you started.

Designing a cover for an ebook is very different to designing a book cover for print. It must suit the book s genre and, most importantly, be clear and readable at the smallest scale. This book cover design has an interesting photograph used in the design. A great book cover design, at its most basic level, is something that will help readers take you and your book seriously.

The anatomy of an effective book cover friesenpress. An examination of some of the top selling books in the kindle store yields surprises. People are not likely to download a sample of your book or to buy your book if the cover does not appear enticing to them. Looking for some tips on how to get your book cover designed. An effective book cover is one of your most powerful tools to sell books. There are basic components considered with creating a book cover. All that matters is that your cover gets your target readers to want to learn more about your book, and hopefully start reading. Nov 26, 2019 hey authors, graphic designers, and small publishers. Book cover design grabs the attention of potential buyers and readers of.

I think this book cover has appropriate illustration and the font style of the title to the genre and concept of this book. Staying on track is important when evaluating concepts presented. Choose from over a million free vectors, clipart graphics, vector art images, design templates, and illustrations created by. Download simple and effective motivational book cover design template vector art. Design book covers with canvas free book cover maker. Here are six rules to be mindful of before you put pen to paper on your back book cover blurb. Derek murphy of creativindie covers is a brilliant designer and has designed a number of my own book covers. If you ask book designers to explain what makes for a great cover, however, they can tell you about how the various design elementsthe typeface, the color scheme, and the. Top 11 book cover design tips for independent authors. Upload your own photos or choose from over 1 million stock images. This means all the focus needs to be on the reader their needs and expectations. Canvas free book cover maker is ridiculously easy to use even for the novice or notsotechsavvy writer.