Effective book cover design

A great book cover design, at its most basic level, is something that will help readers take you and your book seriously. A 3d book cover is threedimensional image of your cover art i. 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. Designing a book cover adobe illustrator timelapse duration. 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. Mise en page portfolio portfolio covers portfolio book. 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. I think this book cover has appropriate illustration and the font style of the title to the genre and concept of this book. Feb 11, 2018 designing a minimal but effective book cover design in adobe illustrator buy this poster here. 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. How to design an effective book cover contrary to popular belief, people will judge your book by its cover. 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. Diy book design is created by an author derek murphy for authors.

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. 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. Top 11 book cover design tips for independent authors designhill. Canvas book cover maker makes designing book covers amazingly simple even for nondesigners. 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. Youve done the hard work and created an amazing book. Choose from over a million free vectors, clipart graphics, vector art images, design templates, and illustrations created by. Minimal book cover design in adobe illustrator cc youtube. Simple and effective motivational book cover design template.

Book cover design book cover designs online designhill. Book cover design grabs the attention of potential buyers and readers of. 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. 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. People are not likely to download a sample of your book or to buy. How to design an effective ebook cover using adobe indesign. Derek murphy of creativindie covers is a brilliant designer and has designed a number of my own book covers. Designing a cover for an ebook is very different to designing a book cover for print. Make sure it sells out by creating an awesome cover design. Keep elements on your cover layout to a minimum, and keep them strong. An independent author should pay heed to the concept of the cover, colors, typefaces, and simplicity of the design.

Looking for some tips on how to get your book cover designed. 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. The character design, varied bright color scheme and patterns in the sky makes it stand out like theres no tomorrow. Magenta asked 15 book designers to nominate the best covers that they hadnt created themselves. 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. Hey authors, graphic designers, and small publishers. A designer who specializes in book jackets understands how readers respond to layout and typography. These 50 awesome book covers will inspire you learn canva.

A unique book cover design is a way to attract potential readers and buyers of a book. Custom graphic design portfolio book in brushed silver with engraving and cutout treatment. The cover design is a great summative assessment helping you evaluate students comprehension and skill communicating in a visual medium. 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. 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. Open canva and select the kindle cover design type or insert your own custom dimensions. This book cover design has an interesting photograph used in the design. There are basic components considered with creating a book cover. 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. As already noted, writing a back book blurb is a marketing exercise.

Simple and effective motivational book cover design. Email is very hard to effectively communicate with strangers, especially about abstract concepts like. Design book covers with canvas free book cover maker. Today, some 15 years later, mendelsunds an associate art director at knopf, having designed around 600 covers. Fix your images, add stunning filters and edit text. You can convert a flat design into a 3d cover or group mockup in 3 simple steps. The cover designs in our list are just as diverse as these genres. Learn everything about creating a bestselling book cover design including book cover design tools, tips, tricks and even design services. Mar 21, 2016 every book deserves a great cover since a book cover is one of the most important marketing features for your book. How to make a book cover in photoshop free book design templates and tutorials so you can make your own book cover. Establish a main focus for your cover every book has a story, and you want your cover to reflect that one idea clearly. The anatomy of an effective book cover friesenpress. On covers, effective typography is perhaps the single biggest success factor. 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.

Here are the 10 biggest things i learned about book cover design during those conversations and also. The famous animal farm book by george orwell has a beautiful, vintage cover design with red accents. All that matters is that your cover gets your target readers to want to learn more about your book, and hopefully start reading. When you hear about authors being asked to blurb a. Nov 26, 2019 hey authors, graphic designers, and small publishers. These ideas come from titles in a number of genres, including drama, thrillers, art, crime, romance, science and much more. How to make an effective book cover design right now jd. An examination of some of the top selling books in the kindle store yields surprises. Its so tempting to think if everyone is doing x and i. 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.

Canvas free book cover maker is ridiculously easy to use even for the novice or notsotechsavvy writer. Choose the mockup design thats most suitable for your branding or promotional purpose. Test which cover is most effective with your audience while building your email list. Ebook cover design tips and techniques digital publishing 101. 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. Designing a minimal but effective book cover design in adobe illustrator buy this poster here. Graphique creative typography graphic design typography typography inspiration graphic design inspiration daily inspiration book cover design. Dec 28, 2018 a 3d book cover is threedimensional image of your cover art i. This is a supercreative book cover design with a book in the book kind of concept. These 50 awesome book covers will inspire you learn. Upload your own photos or choose from over 1 million stock images. This book cover, although it appears quite strange, is probably irresistible to pick up if you were to see in a store. 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. Caring about fantastic book cover design is one of those nonnegotiables for all authors.

Download simple and effective motivational book cover design template vector art. There should be that one element of the design that takes control of the cover and demands your focus. Here some writers who have held successful contests on 99designs give you the hints you need. But it should be a scalable design that appears excellent in smaller sizes for online selling of the book. Know the age group of your young audience and target the cover design to them. Choose from our library of professionally designed layouts.

Choose from over a million free vectors, clipart graphics, vector art images, design templates, and illustrations created by artists worldwide. Brainstorm design ideas and communicate them to designers. An effective book cover will propel readers to learn whats inside. Best for when you want to work with a single designer only. The only people who should consider designing their own covers are professional graphic designersand. 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 truly great jacket is one that captures the book inside it in some fundamental and. Four requirements for an effective book cover 1106 design. Your content may include an about the author and about the book section, as well as testimonials, quotes or contact information. An effective book cover is one of your most powerful tools to sell books. What makes a good book cover of course, catching a potential bookbuyers eye is only part of mendelsunds job. Print out the cover about an inch tall in both color and black and white to test its effectiveness.

This means all the focus needs to be on the reader their needs and expectations. Designing a cover is a long process, requiring preparation, consultations and numerous drafts and adjustments. Typography is a real art and sets the best book designers apart from the rest. Sep 2, 2016 every book deserves a great cover since a book cover is one of the most important marketing features for your book. How to make a book cover in photoshop diy book covers. But for an effective and successful cover, some foundation design rules and expertise come into play. If you have limited time, you can ask them to create one cover. Staying on track is important when evaluating concepts presented. Top 11 book cover design tips for independent authors. 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. What makes a good book cover of course, catching a potential book buyers eye is only part of mendelsunds job. It must suit the book s genre and, most importantly, be clear and readable at the smallest scale. So here are some tips from yvonne shiau, a staff writer for online publishing community reedsy, on. Start planning and budgeting from the beginning of your writing project.

Here youll see some outstanding photoshop work but are they good book cover designs. There should be that one element of the design that takes control of the. Lets look and learn from 50 fascinating book cover designs. 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. Book cover design rules, tips and tricks presented by fred showker as part of judging the wiley design challenge. Design the book title in an interesting way and make sure it stands out. 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. 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. Here are six rules to be mindful of before you put pen to paper on your back book cover blurb. Tell each student that they will be responsible for creating three alternative covers for their book.