Between the covers lay a great story. The saying goes, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. But is it not what we do? If you are not CS Lewis or Steven Spielberg your cover is what going to draw people to your book or dvd. It can be the main selling point.
Book covers
But the question is what make a good cover?
After some research I have found some points that all bloggers, authors, cover designers are agreeing on. Cover design is not just a beautiful picture or image and a title. The cover must capture the emotions, the message of the content. Accompanying the capturing artwork and title is the well thought over write-up.
The big three for book covers
- The cover must draw the reader in, make them feel something, think like the buyer.
- The cover capture the book. To create a great cover, the designer must understand the content, the intended reader and author.
- Three basic point to remember.
- The font and artwork must be Legible.
- It must be part of the “puzzle” fitting the genre and content of the book.
- Your cover must be compatible on different platforms. (Printed, online, ebook, kindle & mobile devices)
DVD & CD covers
When you think of your favourite movie or music album you almost certainly will be able to describe the cover art in detail. Its because lots of thought went into the design.
The big three for DVD & CD covers
- The artwork must be relevant to the content and the design must be uncrowded and focused.
- Colour and contrast are important: Colour can help with setting the mood and drawing attention. Contrast helps with legibility.
- Text should be legible and preferably not overlaying the design or image.
thebookdesigner.com/2014/06/book-cover-success-and-failure-explaine
wired.com/2014/09/makes-brilliant-book-cover-master-explains/