What is the one thing that makes you want to pick up a book from a shelf and take it home with you? It is the book cover, right?
No matter how much people tell you not to judge a book by its cover, there is not a single soul on this planet who follows this advice. Such a waste of words!
Well, now that you know that it is not a debate that people are or are not attracted to pretty covers, because let us face it, everybody is! For the most part, no one denies it; how about we spill the beans on some proven strategies that will help you design a breathtaking book cover? You betcha!
In order to give your audience something (a beautifully designed book) to obsess over, we suggest you read this blog. We have shed light on each and every aspect of book cover designing that a designer must know.
So, let us discuss these aspects in detail!
Cover Matters: 7 Proven Strategies To Design A Best-Selling Book Cover
Gather Book Cover Design Inspiration
If you want to design a book cover, then the first step is to start gathering the book cover design ideas from various sources. You can collect inspiration and ideas from illustrations, images, or any other book covers that you like. Apart from search engines and your bookshelves, here are some ideas that you can find inspiration from:
- Online Galleries
- Book Stores
- Amazon
- Social Media and much more
Outline The Book’s Main Themes
You don’t want to design a cover that is attractive but worthless, do you? Nuh-uh! Rather, it would be best if you designed your book cover to be well-adjusted for market success. What we are trying to say is that you must incorporate some of the visual cues your readers want to see in your book’s main theme.
A book cover has to be in support of the themes the book explores. It must also back up the mood of the book. So, while outlining the book’s main themes, keep in mind to answer the following questions:
- What is your book about anyway?
- Is your book a serious survey of modern society, or is it based on a cloud cuckoo land?
- Is it adventurous or fun, or is it a serious and no laughing matter?
A fun read needs to have a light-hearted, colorful cover. On the other hand, a serious book needs an entirely different kind of aesthetic. So, outline the main theme of your book and keep these questions at the top of your mind when deciding on the type of visuals you want to use on the cover.
Nail Down The Genre
It is an open secret that when it narrows down to covers, different genres have different conventions. For instance, you will hardly ever come across a steamy romance book that does not portray a couple embracing one another on its cover.
On the other hand, a true crime novel will feature blood, ropes, guns, and things of the sort that hint at the crime. Quick Tip? If you are clueless as to what cover design your genre expects, look at competing books. Try to see what elements are used over and over again! And you will come up with something.
Use Visual Hierarchy
The key to designing a book cover is to keep the visual hierarchy in mind. As a designer, you have to make sure that the audience skimming through the shelves comes across the most significant part of your book first. For a lot of books, the important part is their titles.
However, for the best-selling authors, the most significant part might be their names! That is right, folks! To understand this, imagine you are browsing through a children’s bookshelf! You take two beautifully designed books out, one from some random author and the other one from “Enid Blyton”! Who would you pick? The second one! Definitely! Now, this is the importance of using the visual hierarchy correctly.
Steer Clear Of The Clutter
Cluttered covers do not look well when viewed at small sizes. Do you know that a massive number of book browsers conduct their research online? And, a lot of book covers are shrunk down to the thumbnail size online. So, if your masterpiece appears cluttered at such a size, there will be a high risk that you will lose your potential readers.
In order to avoid this, it is ideal to pinpoint one focal element for your book cover. It could be the part of the image you use on the cover, or it can even be the title of the book itself. After pinpointing your focal element, start designing the rest of the cover to make their point come into the spotlight. Moreover, keep in mind that you should leave plenty of white space around that focal element.
Choose Appropriate Fonts And Colors
Selecting the typeface for your masterpiece can be complicated. It has to look great when looked at on the full-size cover, but it also needs to be legible at thumbnail sizes. Try to steer clear of any complexly detailed display or script typefaces.
Color palettes are a book cover’s greatest asset – or greatest downfall, too. The right palette makes sure to draw the reader’s attention and gives them an idea of the mood and the tone of the book. On the contrary, wrong book colors might end up risking the audience’s confusion.
For instance, bold and bright colors are perfect when you are thinking of designing a book cover design for kids books. While dark and muted tones are perfect for targeting a serious genre. Have you got the point?
Don’t Overlook The Spine Or Back Cover
A lot of people commit this horrendous mistake of ignoring the back cover and the spine of the book. We do agree that the front cover of a book must be a sight for sore eyes, but it does not mean that the spine and back cover are any less important than the front cover. So, the next time you design a book cover, make sure to keep these aspects in mind.
Can I design my own book cover?
Yes, you can design your own book cover. However, remember that you also need to market it, so it has to be descriptive and eye-catching. There is no shame in getting help from a professional designer to make your cover look absolutely out of this world.
What should a book cover look like?
An ideal book cover must be able to:
- Grab prospective readers’ attention
- Convey the mood of the book efficiently
- Tell the genre of the book and much more
Can I use Canva to design my book cover?
Yes, you most certainly can! Canva makes the entire book cover-making process a piece of cake – even for unprofessional designers.
What is the significance of a book cover?
In the world of books, an ideal cover is more than just a beautiful face. It is a powerful marketing tool that serves to convey the essence of the book, enhance sales, attract readers, and much more.
Summing It All Up!
People are picky about what they read; a lot of people would not read a book if the cover did not actually look appealing. Are you one of those people, too? Well, so are we! This is why designing a book cover ideally is crucial to boost your book’s sales.
Fun fact? Many people only purchase a book to own the cover and admire its gorgeousness forever. So make sure you design such an eye-striking book cover that people cannot resist buying. By reading the above-given information, we are sure that you now know all about what it takes to design an aesthetically pleasing book cover. So, go on and let your creative juices flow right now!