Book Cover Design Ideas for 2023
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Since childhood, we were told – “never judge a book by its cover.” But reality proves otherwise. Books with eye-catching cover designs are most likely to be picked from the shelves/online platforms. In addition, book covers offer valuable clues to readers about what they may find inside the book.
A well-designed book cover serves as perfect marketing material for both the publisher and the author. A good book cover boosts visibility, increases sales, and also helps create a great first impression for potential readers.
In this article, we bring to you not just book cover ideas but also introduce you to some of the best book cover designers across the globe, along with tips for creating a stunning book cover design that will entice your readers.
Types of Books
Before we start divulging deep into the process of book cover design, there are a few things that you need to know about a book. Firstly, there are three types of books that avid readers choose from to fulfill their literary adoration.
Non – Fiction
A Non – Fiction book refers to literature writings that are informative and based on facts readily available. These types of books can tell a real-life story, give anecdotes, or teach. Some of the best examples of non-fiction books are Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking, Diary of A Young Girl by Anne Frank, Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, etc.
Fiction
A Fiction book refers to literature created based on the author’s imagination. Writing a fictional book requires much research in developing the plotline and characters. Authors often relate their book’s plotline and characters to real life. For example, J.R.R. Tolkiens established a whole new language, world, and characters for his famous book series – The Lord Of The Rings. Both J.R.R Tolkiens and his close friend C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia series, had developed fictional characters based on the other in their best sellers. Some other famous works of fiction are Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell, etc.
Academic
Academic books can also be considered as long-form publications. Since they are the result of in-depth academic research, usually over a period of years, making an original contribution to a field of study. The Britannica Encyclopedia, the Oxford Dictionary, and Cambridge Dictionary are some of the best-known and popular academic books.
Given that there are different types of books, there are also variations in books and book cover dimensions. This is mainly due to the content of the book and its genre, such as sci-fi, art, romance, etc. As per the book’s genre, the standard book sizes vary,
Mass-market paperbacks: Sized at 4.25″ x 6.87″ Pocketbooks as they are otherwise called, these books are compact and inexpensive to produce.
Trade paperbacks: These are the standard paperbacks you might find at bookstores. Trade paperback sizes will range anywhere from the digest size of 5.5″ x 8.5″ to the US trade size of 6″ x 9″. The US trade size is the got-to size range for paperbacks, be it for novels, memoirs, or non-fiction books.
Hardcover: The premium book format. These book sizes tend to range from 6″ x 9″ to 8.5″ x 11″.
For reference, the standard book sizes in inches are:
- Fiction: 4.25 x 6.87, 5 x 8, 5.25 x 8, 5.5 x 8.5, 6 x 9
- Novella: 5 x 8
- Children’s: 7.5 x 7.5, 7 x 10, 10 x 8
- Textbooks: 6 x 9, 7 x 10, 8.5 x 11
- Non-fiction: 5.5 x 8.5, 6 x 9, 7 x 10″
- Memoir: 5.25 x 8, 5.5 x 8.5
- Photography: Depening on the picture size the book size can vary.
As for ebooks, we have jotted down the different ebook covers size below,
- Kindle Direct: 2,560 x 1,600 (1.6:1)
- Novels and non-fiction: 2,560 x 1,600 (1.5:1)
- Illustrated books: 2,800 x 3,920 (1.4:1) or 3,000 x 3,600 (1.2:1)
- Audiobook: 3,200 x 3,200 (1:1)
For more insights on the size of your book, you can check out What Are the Standard Book Sizes in Publishing?
Types of Book Covers
Like a record sleeve, a book cover is a crucial element of the reading experience. Book covers are the first things you see. A great cover can easily draw you in and persuade you to start the journey of discovery. Explore the related guide best book cover designs.
Book design Covers that Sell
your next Book project with All Time Design
Today, book cover designs are considered one of the most important factors for a book’s sale and popularity. Also, more than the written word of a reviewer, many potential readers prefer to split test book cover designs before deciding to buy their preferred one.
Softcovers or Paperback Covers
Paperbacks, also known as softcovers, are a type of bookbinding characterized by a thick paper or paperboard. Paperbacks are held together with glue or other forms of adhesive rather than stitches or staples.
Hardback Covers
A hardback, as the name suggests, is a hard cardboard-covered book. Typically bound with cloth, plastic, or leather.
Hardcovers come in two ways,
- Case Wrap / Case Binding
A case wrap is a traditional method of bookbinding. It is the most used hardcover model where paper, plastic, or cloth are printed and finally wrapped on the cases that make up the hardcover itself. Unlike a dust jacket, they are glued to become an integral part of the book.
- Dust Jacket
The Dust Jacket, also known as a book’s dustwrapper, book jacket, or dust cover, is the detachable outer cover. It is usually made of paper and is printed with texts and illustrations. The outer cover has folded flaps that hold it to the book.
EBook Covers
Since ebooks are read online or as a pdf file, they do not have a back cover, but like any other book, they have a front cover design. Therefore, for an ebook, cover design is extremely important.
A great book cover will help the book marketing and make it appear fancy in the thumbnail section. Though an ebook’s thumbnail size is small, it is still an integral part of the overall ebook cover design. In addition, most of the up-and-coming authors create their own custom ebook covers. Check out the guidelines for how to design book covers.
Types of Book Cover Design
The role of a book cover is to present the author’s vision by showcasing a mental picture of the book’s interior design and positioning itself amongst the other books in the same genre. After all, the goal of a book cover is to pique the reader’s curiosity. Given that each book has its characteristics, the book cover has to be equally impressive and state the purpose to the reader in one glance. Find the related guide, yearbook cover ideas.
Typography Book Covers
A Typography book cover is text-heavy with minimal design elements. This type of book cover style is a staple for academic and non-fiction book covers, but depending on the requirement is also used for fictional book cover design.
Illustrated Book Covers
Illustrated book covers are particularly effective when the author seeks to establish a personal connection with readers. Irrespective of the genre, these types of book covers are used by all, depending on the requirement.
Book Covers with Photographs
Book covers with photographs are popular with books in all genres, especially if the book has been made into a movie.
How to Become a Book Cover Designer
When most people think of careers in the publishing industry, they’re likely to think of working as authors, editors, publishing executives, and literary agents. Yet whenever a publishing house issues a new book, it has a very important physical attribute: a book cover. And behind every book cover design is a working book cover designer. To become a professional cover designer is an added advantage when you are already a graphic designer. Thus, if you are planning to create your own cover design, then keep reading,
- Firstly, you should oversee and finalize the design elements, typography, and art work for both the front cover and back cover.
- Do not miss the spine design and the inner flaps if you are to print a dust jacket.
- The custom book cover design must be relevant to the genre, and the main focus should be to instigate the book’s sales.
- The cover designers must collaborate and work with other marketing creatives as well.
Check below the five steps the professional designer team at All Time Design follows while creating custom book cover designs for our clients. For more tips on how to design a book cover, click here.
Top Book Cover Designer For Your Idea
The design industry is vast, and it is a stringent atmosphere for graphic designers who create book covers. They have to take into consideration the author, the readers, and also the marketing purposes of the book by doing a professional book cover design. Check out some magazine design ideas.
JIM KAY
Every Harry Potter fanatic knows who Jim Kay is. Since 2015 he has created the cover art for the Harry Potter series releasing custom covers of the bestselling books.
RODRIGO CORRAL
Designer of some of the bestselling books, Rodrigo Corral does not just design book covers but also has worked with inspiring individuals and organizations such as Jay Z, Edward Snowden, The New York Times, and Amazon Prime.
JOHN GALL
John Gall is known for his minimalistic and typographic cover design. He is known to use different types of fonts, pictures, and designs together to create the perfect book cover design.
NA KIM
Na Kim is known for her out-of-the-box approach to both design and typography. In an interview, she stated, “If I see five books with the same color palette or the same type layout or something, I know, Okay, let’s not do that. Even with my own work, if too many of my colors look the same, I’ll try to be conscious of using different colors, but I won’t put that above, making something reflective of what’s inside the book. Function comes before form—when you get both, I think that’s when it comes closest to being successful”. To read more of her interview with the creative independent click here.
CORALIE BICKFORD-SMITH
Not just an illustrator, but Coralie Bickford-Smith is also the author of the book “The Fox and The Star.”
JAKE NICOLELLA
One word for Jake Nicolella’s book cover designs is colorful. Each book cover design of his has its own distinction and can be easily recognized by the readers.
HELEN CRAWFORD-WHITE
With over 10+ years of experience in the field of graphic design and illustrations, Helen Crawford-White
JOAN WONG
Joan Wong is known for creating thoughtful responses to narratives. Not just for book covers but also for her other design works, she follows the same ideology and designs illustrations that invoke interest.
Top Book Cover Designs
There are many websites like Canva where you can download free templates or create custom book cover design with the help of a professional illustrator. But there is a different vibe when you get a professional designer design book cover for you.
Check out these top 10 book cover designs that have added to the value and popularized these bestselling books.
Conclusion
A good book cover design will keep the reader glued to your book. However, if you’re uncertain about what works best for your book, it’s best to take the advice of professional cover designers.
To design a compelling handmade book cover that’s easy and attractive for the reader, get it done with All Time Design. Book a demo or Sign Up today to get the best high-quality design options for your marketing materials while availing yourself the option of unlimited changes at no extra cost. Check out the finest guide for social media image sizes.
