BOOK COVERS (PT. 1)

WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL BOOK JACKET?

‘‘A really good book cover has to work regardless of what it’s about, on a visceral and emotional level.’’ Chip Kidd

Based off of the links provided on our blog, and some additional articles I found online, I put together some 'tips' that I feel describe what makes a book's cover successful:

• A successful book cover, avoids a design that is literal, and tries to subvert the genre, creating something that is not predictable or expected.
• A really great cover is going to convey the essence of the book in a unique and surprising way that maybe pushes the design envelope a bit. It might even add to and enhance the editorial content of the book.
• Arrange elements into interesting juxtapositions and try to find some breathing room. It’s very easy to clutter up the page.
• A book’s design presents the way through which the reader interacts with the text. Done wrong, a book’s design (or lack of design) can turn an engaging text into a boring and monotonous read.
• An effective cover catches the humans eye and conveys the idea of the book on one single page. The cover should be striking,creative, and unique.
• Book covers should suggest sensibility, they are more coy and a lot more discrete than magazine covers, which are dying to tell you everything.
• Color. We respond to color or the lack of it before reading a book title. Color sets the mood of a book. Think about how you want to effect the viewer of your book cover.
• Know your market. Use imagery and style that your market can relate too. You want to create a cover design that stylistically fits the genre, but stands out from competing titles.
• Research. Check out book covers within and without your genre. Visit a book store or go online to Amazon.com. Observe how type and images are used. Why are some covers more appealing than others? Adapt what you like to your own cover.

• Examples of not being too literal when designing a book cover:

  -Chip Kidd's cover for the novel My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk: The title is in blue.

  -Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses- The cover features pretty horse, but shows just the mane, not the entire body, as if the horse became a part of the landscape.

  -The cover for Dry - ...looks soaking wet.