Although there are the key principles and rules as to what makes a book cover design work, what appeals to readers is constantly evolving.
Browsing new book releases is a good way to gather perspective on what is currently selling, and what isn’t. We’ve broken down a few of them to give you some ideas for your next book cover design.
Title and imagery composition
When you think about what elements you want upon your book cover take a minute to think if there’s any way the title can be incorporated into the imagery. This helps to connect the books title with the cover, creating a relationship between the two. This may help your readers understand more about your book, enticing them to pick it up.
Typography driven
Sometimes imagery doesn’t always have to dominate a book cover design – it can be the title typography that leads the show. As book cover design evolves we are seeing more covers using big, bold, modern typography that is placed at a gigantic scale. This is also a good way to get readers to notice remember your book title.
Clear, legible typography
With the rise of online booksellers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble becoming more popular (especially during a pandemic where bookstores have been shut) readers have less opportunity to digest the book in a physical format. It is more important now than ever to ensure the majority of your book cover design elements can be viewed from a thumbnail size, most importantly the title of your book. Ensure your title isn’t too small, or too whimsical that it blends into the background and makes it hard for readers to see.
Bold, contrasting color palettes
A subtitle can be useful to include on the front cover design when your title might need some clarity or descriptive detail. With the rise of eBook popularity it might also help to include a subtitle as it will include searchable keywords that aren’t included in your title or anywhere else upon the cover.
Hidden Titles
Sometimes a relationship can be created between by using photo manipulation to hide some of the title behind the imagery. Similar to what was mentioned before about the title typography using imagery elements to create a composition, obscuring the title slightly with parts of the image or using effects to blend the two can really make a cover stand out and look professional.
Minimalism
At BuzBooks we believe that the back cover should be considered in terms of design just as important as the front cover. To give your cover that professional edge above your competition keep the reader interested by adding some elements that reflect the front- if they’ve made it to the back cover they are already showing some interest.
