What makes a good book cover design?
How do readers choose a book to buy and read? Some buy because of their love for the author, while others buy because of interesting titles and summaries. But there is another reason a book catches the attention of the reader and that is because of its cover design.
The cover design is the first thing people see when they browse for books. First impressions count and a book which is elegantly designed stands out among the competition. This factor applies not only to physical books but also to e-books. When people browse e-books on their phones or tablets, the cover design is oftentimes what catches their eye.
So how can you use cover design to grab the attention of readers?
Since we are working on the premise that you can, in fact, judge a book by its cover, let’s take a closer look at book cover design and how you can use it to your advantage.
Elements of a book cover
Book cover design refers to both the artistic style of a book as well as the overall package. There are some specific elements to cover design that are essential to making it unique and eye-catching. Here are some things to keep in mind when designing a book cover:
1. Title and Title Design
Before addressing the actual design of the cover, there should already be a book title. The theme of the design will rely on the title as its purpose is to let the readers know what the book is all about. As mentioned earlier, a book title is one of the things people look out for when buying a book so it is important that it is easy to read.
Use a large, bold font to emphasize the title and make sure that the color is different or contrasting from the background. E-book titles should pop out in thumbnails.
2. Subtitles
For several different genres, subtitles serve an important function. They can provide additional in-depth information about a book or identify its place within a series. Subtitles should be clear and concise. Use a smaller or altogether different font than so it doesn’t outshine the main title.
3. Cover Design and Layout
When the title and subtitle are finalized, it is then time to conceptualize the design and layout of the cover. These elements will bring together all the ideas that you have to create a great book cover. There are three things that are important to take note of when it comes to design:
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- Colors. Colors have a psychological effect on people and can evoke particular emotions. You can effectively apply this to your cover as long as the color draws out the same feeling as your book. For example, red signifies intense feelings while blue and white signify calmness and serenity.
- Images. You can choose photos, illustrations, or vector images to display on your cover. Using eye-catching images will definitely get the attention of people right off the bat. If you want to be more creative, illustrations and vector images will do the trick. There are websites which provide free images such as Wikimedia Commons and those which provide paid images such as Shutterstock.
- Typography. The right font to use for your name, book title, and subtitle should be legible and pair well with the color scheme of the book. Avoid using fancy fonts and too many text effects for easy readability. If no one can understand the cover of your book, no one will buy it.
Since e-books are typically browsed through a small device, it is important to remember that the cover design should be one that is easily viewed. Each online market has their own guidelines when it comes to the dimensions of an e-book cover to be displayed on their site. For example, Amazon recommends a 1.6:1 height/width ratio in a JPEG or TIFF file format.
Your ultimate goal is to stand out among the competition. You may want to create a cover design on your own but it is much better to get help from a professional team to execute your ideas perfectly.
We are Ebook Launch
Ebook Launch is a team of professional book cover designers that are ready to make your design ideas a reality. Our design process is very easy. Just follow these steps to start:
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- Choose your preferred package- Custom Ebook Cover Design or Ebook + Print Cover Design
- Provide your own ideas via a simple form.
- Pay your invoice.
- Review design for approval.
- Ready for printing!
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Our packages are very affordable and we offer unlimited revisions in case you don’t like the design. If you have more questions about our book cover design services, contact us by filling out this form.