Book Cover Designs Overview - 21.10.22
We had a quick look at what would make a good book cover design. There are 5 steps that make a book cover do what it suppose to do, to entice the reader into the book and to convey what the book is about.
Step 1 - Annouce it's Genre
The book itself must try and announce its genre by trying to show it's category, niche or genre on its cover as book shoppers try and buy from the category or the niche or the genre of the book.
Step 2 - Telegraph its Tone
The cover must also show the tone of the book on the cover as well. The tone of the book is what the author sets in the book. This is basically a way that the author adds colour to the book. This can also work for the cover of the book as well.
Step 3 - Explain the Scope
The book cover must also show what's included in the cover as this can intrigue the reader to the cover and then make sure that the reader knows what's included, the subject matter, time period, geography and anything else that the reader will want to know about the book.
Step 4 - Generate Excitement
For a good book cover, it must generate excitement about the book. A hook can be used to generate this by making the user question what happened, who is involved, when is this set, anything that can relate to the 5 w's which is;
Who, What, Where, When, Why
Step 5 - Establish a Market Position
A book cover can help by making sure that the user knows what market it is in. For example;
A quick Google search on "Vampire Book Covers" shows us that most of them consist of a female on the page with fangs, as this is something that we relate to the user (the use of semiotics). This use of semiotics also goes hand in hand with the red, as this is related to it being shown as blood, whilst the dark colour scheme of the covers shows this relating to night (as vampires are mostly seen as nocturnal characters).
What Most Book Covers Fail
There is also a list of things that book covers fail.
1 - They are Illegible
Illegible through the use of unable-to-read fonts, colours not contrasting enough to read what is going on, on the book cover.
This can be through the typography used or even the imagery used as well.
2 - They disregard their genre or niche
This is when you don't portray the genre through the book cover. Say, for example, that you are trying to show a cover for a kid's book, but you put something inappropriate on the cover, then this can be seen as disregarding the genre of the book.
3 - There is "no hook"
A hook is there to draw the reader in. A bad design will not incorporate a hook into the cover, so that a reader will pick it up and read the blurb.
4 - They are Graphically or Typographyically Incompetent
A good book cover will incorporate good typography and graphic on the cover. It would not be a good cover if comic sans were used in a history book about the slave trade. It would be seen as taking a joke when it is very deep and chilling history that is known to a lot of people.
Going Back to My Market Research
Learning more about book design covers and what makes them tick, it might be a good idea to try and talk about the points that was said in the lecture.
Orphan Monster Spy - Matt Killeen
As an immediate look on the cover, the black and gold are the contrast that it needs to stand out from the bookshelf. It also can be downsized for a phone or laptop as the design cue is very noticeable for the book cover. It also has both a "hook" and a review as the quote, which is also placed at the top so that readers are enticed more into picking up the book and reading the blurb. Even I found myself picking it up and reading the back of it. It also features a wrap-around design, with gold accents flowing from the front, to the spine and to the back as well.
This cover might not suit everyone's taste as it is a really out-there cover, but for the niche market, it can work. The only downside that I can see (well, don't see) is what genre of books is this, from the front. The back is where we get more information about the book. The only telling piece of what genre of the book this is is the hook at the bottom. Even then, it is really vague, but vague enough to get the reader to pick up the book and start reading the blurb.
Becoming Mila - Estelle Maskame
I know that this was not one of the books that I talked about in the other blog post, but I feel like the design is structurally sound. It tells us a story of a male musician that looks like is trying to serenade the female in the swimming pool. So, it's already got the hook with how the relationship is going to turn out. The colours make it so that it's a "feel good, cutesty" kind of book. It has this warmth to it, that you do not get if the colours are a lot darker or if the colours represented danger in any way such as if the girl was drowning or if the guy was holding a murder weapon instead of a guitar.
I also feel like it knew its target audience, with it showing a guy wanting a relationship with this girl. The awards are on the top, which is also trying to entice the reader into buying the book. There is also detail that this is the first of the series, which is shown at the bottom of the book cover. The cover is also a wrap-around design, showing the book as one continuous design. The typography of the author's name is sans serif, has a sort of professionalism with it, but still has some playfulness to it. The title has this calligraphy/handwritten style to portray a sort of personal touch (a love letter perhaps?) to the cover. I also like the way that the illustrations are simple but affective.
The back of the book had to be changed (I think) as the lettering would not be eligible if it was a true wrap-around design, as the white on sand colour would clash with the design.
The First Thing About You - Chaz Hayden
I think that this is on the point of being illegible for some people. Some people might not like the bright colours of the cover, and colour-blind people might not see certain colours of some people. The genre is explained in the title, as you can tell it's going to be something about a love story. It is implied in the title. The design itself is also a wrap-around one, with the design from the front showing a disabled person in the back.
The negative space of the lettering is also on the verge of being illegible, but the way that the author's name is clearer is a little weird, as this uses a much cleaner line to show his letters. This might be because the dots used in the negative space will not translate too well if the same technique is used on the author's name.