Design a Great Book Cover

No matter how many times they are told not to, there is just no avoiding the fact that people are going to "judge a book by its cover." Here are a few tips on how to design a book cover that catches eyes and represents your work well.

Research

Or sort of, anyway. The first thing you will want to do when starting to design your book cover is to gather together a few covers that you like, look at them with a critical eye and ask yourself what it is that you like about them. Is it the font? The artwork or photography? The color scheme? All of the above? If you are working with a graphic designer you will be helping him or her greatly by supplying those covers as examples of the kind of look you are going for.

Depending on your budget, there may even be the possibility of working with the same designer - it is worth checking out, anyway. You won't be able to - nor do you want to - imitate the covers you enjoy too directly, but you should be able to get something original that you enjoy.

Designing The Details

Whether you are working with a designer or designing the book yourself, there are some things that you may want to keep in mind. While in some cases you may want to lean in the direction of having your cover art be a representation of what the actual book is about, you don't necessarily have to do that. In fact, it may be considered a little bit trite and "on the nose." A good graphic artist will be able to take the overall mood of your book and create a cover that conveys that mood. Or he or she may be able to simply create a cover that simply draws attention based on how great it looks. Sometimes, that's all it takes.

Color schemes and fonts can go a long way is creating the right mood, and even a brand in some cases. If you want to do an interesting design study, do an internet search for the different covers the iconic book "Catcher In The Rye" has had through the years. During one period, it was simply yellow printing on a maroon background, but that kind of simplicity created a look that has stood the test of time.

Other Things To Consider

The covers of books can be a multi-sensory experience as well, so give some thought to printing your cover with embossed or raised lettering. People like to touch and run their fingers over things that are printed in those ways, and the more attention your book gets the better.

Also be sure to give adequate time and attention to the spine of your book and make it as appealing as possible, because sometimes, that's all peoples will have a chance to see.

One last thing to consider is trying to make sure that your book cover translates well to a relatively low-resolution JPEG, and that your general theme translates well in that format, as that's all your potential internet buyers will see.

Source : Ezinearticles