Book cover trends are constantly evolving but most of the designs are often a blend of texts and graphics, including the author’s name and the book’s title. The more compelling a cover is, the better chance of it being purchased. There are several ways to guide you through the design process. By the end of this guide, you will know all the tricks to create a cohesive look in a book cover that attracts readers; from accenting colors to topography.
How to Design A Creative Book Cover?
Why Design a Creative Book Cover?
We all judge a book by its cover. First impressions count and the only way to get people to read your book is to create an impressive book cover design. The few seconds it takes for readers to glance at a book can mean the difference between a bestseller and a flop. An interesting and creative book cover design is the main reason why people buy the book. If you want to motivate people to pick up your book, choose a design that sparks curiosity, conveys the essence of the story, and reflects on the target audience.
Types of Book Cover Designs
A book’s cover design is inspired by the book’s subject matter. Here are examples of some popular and creative book cover designs:
- Minimalist book cover designs: This cover design is pretty straightforward and eliminates all the busy patterns and graphics found on other covers. A minimalist cover design is simple and focuses on just the title and supporting image. Focusing on a central element makes the cover design more eye-catching and immediately sells the message without revealing a lot of details. they are more common in e-books.
- Collage book covers: This is a collection of different art elements such as photos, fabrics, and paper cuts, to form a creative book cover design. As a designer, you need to be knowledgeable, have an open mind, and feel free to let your creativity guide you to know which elements to use so that readers know what the book is about.
- Futuristic book covers: A masterpiece for SCI-FI enthusiasts, this cover design features elements of science and the future. This cover immediately captures a reader’s curiosity and lets them stretch their imagination through the mysterious background.
- Negative space book covers: Negative space designs are trending now because of their unique and stylish appeal. The idea behind this concept is to create a foreground and a background so that the book stands out. however, designers should be careful not to use too much negative space as this makes the cover appear unfinished.
- Real photography book covers: You might decide to use stock photos but real photos connect more deeply with the readers. Many books nowadays use book cover designs of real people; from modern, to historical, to black and white. Celebrity memoirs and romance fiction books commonly use this design.
Steps to Design a Creative Book Cover
If you don’t want to spend a lot on hiring a professional designer, you can still do it yourself. Here are the steps to design a creative book cover.
Step 1: Look for inspiration
Check online for brilliant book ideas to ignite your imagination. One such source is Pinterest which hosts several boards and pins of book covers. Save the ones that impress you and see what you can use. The genre of the book can also be a source of inspiration. Gathering different book cover ideas will help you narrow down your choices when searching. Are you short of ideas? Some tips to get you started:
- Use colors as accents. Accent colors draw attention to a particular element in your cover. keep in mind the meanings of different colors as you feature them in your design.
- Make bold choices with typography. The choice of typography lets readers know the book’s content, genre, and overall professionalism. Playing around with the font type, color, and size, as well as the natural contrast can be a powerful design tool.
- Convey the mood of the book. A coverlets a reader get a glimpse of the overall picture of a book. Think of how your design can communicate a specific theme to the book inside.
Step 2: Consider the genre
Fiction books speak to the mind, so a cover that immediately sends an emotional message to the reader will do well. Covers of non-fiction books will have a witty or intriguing theme. To get a sense of genre expectations, check for competition in your genre, and if they follow a certain convention, you will likely want to follow suit.
Step 3: Select your cover dimensions
Before you start designing your book cover, choose the required width height to ratio to meet each market’s requirements.
Step 4: Choose an appropriate font and color palette
Choosing a font for your book cover requires a balanced view. It needs to be eye-catching when viewed on the full-size cover but also needs to be small enough to be viewed as a thumbnail. To be on the safe side, avoid complex fonts with a lot of details. The color palette establishes the mood of the book. Your choice of colors can be your biggest asset and also your downfall. The right color gives the reader an idea of the book’s mood and tone while the wrong color can create a confusing impression.
Step 5: Your title should stand out
This is not just about the name of the book but a title that stands out and is readable at small and large sizes and contrasts from the background graphics.
Step 6: Design Your Book Cover
Designing your book cover is cost-effective and gives you the freedom to experiment with different styles. Here are great online tools to get you started:
- Canva: This is an easy-to-use graphic design tool with tons of design tools and creative book cover templates. With the free option, you can test out several templates, but more advanced features can be accessed after a paid membership plan.
- Adobe: If you have installed Adobe Creative on your computer, you can use this graphic design tool to design your book cover. It is packed with tons of design options and book cover templates and the premium version is more versatile and unlocks access to more advanced features.
- Photoshop: Photoshop makes it easier to manipulate images, create 3D mockups, and test out different font types.
- DIY -Book covers: A variety of templates and tutorials on this online tool make it easy to design a beautiful and creative book cover. There is a one-time fee of $197.
- Affinity publisher: This is a powerful publishing software that has all the features that make designing a book cover a breeze.
Conclusion
Designing your book cover is a process that requires time, effort, and the use of the best designing software. Ensure your book cover sends a clear message, makes an impact in thumbnail size, and has the right graphics. And don’t forget to do your market research to see what works best for you.