Did you know that we only need between 8 and 15 seconds to know if a book interests us or not? A very small time interval. For this reason, it is important to take care of every detail to the maximum of the cover of our book. A good cover design will grab attention and arouse curiosity about your content in the potential reader. On the contrary, a sloppy or unprofessional cover will make potential clients walk past your work.
Designing an attractive cover for the reader is not easy since it must follow the elements’ harmony in form and color. Remember that you must convince the reader to invest their valuable time and money in your work in just one glance.
What are those magical elements that my cover must have to sell? This post will teach you what steps to follow to design a successful cover.
How to design a book cover?
Reflect the values of your work
It may seem not easy, but the cover of your book must convey the values of your work and your personality as an author. It should convey information about the genre of the book, the characters, the plot, etc., that is, as simple as reflecting on the outside what the reader will find inside.
It has happened to all of us to find a book with a cover that has aroused high expectations, and inside we have not fulfilled them. And if you have given them the opportunity, also the opposite case, an inconspicuous cover that enveloped a great work. For this reason, it is highly recommended that you transmit exactly what your work is, neither more nor less.
Choice of colors
Can you imagine the cover of a book about nature that does not have the color green? The answer is obviously no. Cover colors are very important as they directly influence how we feel and think. Although it is not an exact science, certain guidelines will surely help you decide on the colors of your cover.
Choose colors that are appropriate for the theme of your book. Red (passion and strength), blue (trust and freedom), green (health and nutrition), black (elegance and sophistication), white (purity and perfection), and brown (credibility and comfort).
Using an image, use colors that complement it or its primary color.
The text must be legible; that is, look for the contrast between the background color and the title, for example, a dark font on a white background.
Choose a maximum of 2 or 3 colors, no more. When 4 colors or more are used, the reader creates a distorted perception, and the only thing we achieve in the end is to confuse him.
Choosing the font
One of the most complicated issues is knowing how to transmit our work’s values through typography. Some evoke elegance, strength, antiquity, and youth; everything will depend on the chosen theme.
On the other hand, the clarity and cleanliness of the text and the image are very important. The size of the title must be large enough so as not to be confused with the rest of the elements of the cover.
Choice of images and format
Once we have all of the above, it is time to choose the image or images that will be part of the cover of your book. We recommend that you look for an image with a hook. To get inspiration, you can check out the portfolios of professional book designers like Monster Book writing or any other individual of the same niche.
But what is a hook image? A leading image that looks directly at the reader. Avoid images that do not face the viewer or meaningless elements, as they disperse the viewer’s attention. Once the image is configured, at any printing press, they will ask you to export the image in one of these three formats: JPG, PDF, or PNG.
These tips above would help you craft an appealing book cover for your next bestseller.
