How to Design a Book Cover
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How to Design a Book Cover
Introduction
They say, a??Dona??t judge a book by its cover,a?? but this may be one of the falsest things every uttered. How many times have you not cracked open a book because the cover was terrible? The book cover matters a lota??ita??s the first thing readers will see. If youa??re able to have input into how your book is designed, here are some pointers.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Things You'll Need
- Book
- Design software
Steps
1
Step One
Look at covers of books that you love. You dona??t want to emulate these covers directly, but determine just what works about the cover. If youa??re working with a designer, give copies of these books as examples.
2
Step Two
Get to the essence of what a book is about. This is the hardest part of book designa??how to whittle down hundreds of pages into one image. If ita??s a novel or non-fiction, find a core imagea??either photograph or artworka??that best represents the book.
3
Step Three
Choose a good font for the title and author name. Slight variations in lettering can convey a much different meaning. Elegant script lettering for a science fiction novel might be entirely inappropriate, or else this skewing of expectations could be very effective.
4
Step Four
Use at least four colors for the cover. A six color process is recommended.
5
Step Five
Experiment with different color schemesa??for the lettering, borders, or any other design elements. Color is as important as the main image and fonts.
6
Step Six
If you can afford it, design the cover with raised lettering. However, keep in mind that a book cover should look sharp in a relatively small jpg, as a growing number of people buy books online.
7
Step Seven
Dona??t forget the spine. Spine design is often overlookeda??but this is often what a browser first sees on the shelf.
Overall Tips & Warnings
- If you are inexperienced with Photoshop or other design program, it may be worth the expense to hire a design firm. Be sure to check out the designera??s past designs.
- Ask a designer to make several different versions of the same cover, if possiblea??maybe just making a small change to the font for the title.
- If youa??re a designera??read the book before setting out to design a cover. It will help you come up with ideas. At the very least, get a synopsis.
- Look out for book cover designers who overcharge for their services.
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