The Ultimate Book Cover Design Guide With Examples

Table Of Content

• An Author’s Guide to Stock Photos for Book Covers
• Fantasy covers show off (or strongly imply) the fantastical.
• Annabel Pickering and the Sky Pirates: The Fantastical Contraption
• Book Cover Design: Ideas, Layout, Fonts, And How to Create One
• Address
• Why Monochromatic Color Palettes Are a Hack for Elegant Designs
• Crime Book Cover Art

The mockup offers a smart object which allows you to drag and drop your design onto the appropriate layer in Photoshop. How the main graphic of the shattered flowers goes under and above the book title is beautiful. Many book covers treat text and graphics as entirely separated elements, so to see them entwined in this way is very effective. The book cover’s soothing blue background is one of the most instantly noticeable things about The Body Keeps the Score. This color conveys a mood of trustworthiness, calm, and healing, all of which are suitable choices for a book covering the impact of trauma.

An Author’s Guide to Stock Photos for Book Covers

Here are some interesting covers that turned a basic design element into the centerpiece. Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score is one of the most significant and popular books of recent times dealing with the impact of trauma on people. As more and more of us are waking up to the major role that trauma has in both personal and social dysfunction, we turn to books such as The Body Keeps the Score to help us live better lives.

Fantasy covers show off (or strongly imply) the fantastical.

Boldly contrasting colors grab attention and convey a strong visual impact. By using colors that stand out against each other, book covers can evoke specific moods and emotions, setting the stage for the reader’s experience. They help readers decide if they like your work and want to spend time reading it. Book covers are super important for selling your book, so ensuring yours looks professional, grabs attention, and shows what your book is about is necessary. The flat lay stock photo of vegetables on the cover matches the color scheme perfectly, adding to the appeal of this book cover template. You can customize this template easily in the drag-and-drop editor.

Annabel Pickering and the Sky Pirates: The Fantastical Contraption

Antique Book Cover Template will save you time and money when you need just the right mockup to showcase your book cover design ideas. The hallmark of great design is simplicity, so resist the urge to pack your book cover design with too many elements. The goal is to provide your reader with only what they need to know to be intrigued to pick up your book and learn more. Do you have a good review from someone who is well-known in your field? Even if it simplifies your book cover design in other aspects, having the popularity of someone who is well known verify that you have a good story or content is well worth it.

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Let’s look at some of the most common approaches and try to figure out what makes them eye-catchy. Of course, some of the examples will be a combination of different approaches, but we simply will focus on their most prominent feature. Have a bunch of favorite movies that somehow inspired your story? Or even an album by a group that ponders on similar ideas? Include them into your “folder” of ideas and share them with your designer. The book cover, designed by Wix user Mumtaz Mustafa, is a sideways painting of a full moon glowing over the ocean.

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The minimal style is timeless, from an old book cover you may run into, to modern book back cover ideas, it’s everywhere. Your cover will usually be seen on a screen first, rather than the shelf. But consider the amount of plates a designer has to keep spinning at once.

The old saying goes, "Don't judge a book by its cover," but when it comes to selling books, that's exactly what potential readers will do. Your book cover is often the first—and sometimes only—thing that potential readers will see, incorporating essential design elements such as cover art and typography. Customize this template by replacing the text, adding images and graphics, changing colors and fonts, and more. The Visme editor is packed with dozens of editing features to help you create your dream book cover in minutes. A book title in an unusual typographic style immediately catches readers’ eye. Instead of using a font, you can use thematic images to spell out the word.

Customize this template with your own text, fonts, colors and more. You can also switch out the stock photo with another one from our free image library. Or, upload a photo from your computer if you have one ready. Make your readers shiver in excitement with this thriller book cover template. Intricate designs can give a book a timeless and luxurious feel.

Crime Book Cover Art

Romance books follow a somewhat strict convention featuring sizzling scenes or handsome guys. But you can also experiment with tone and bright colors depending on the setting of your book. Contemporary romance might use more brilliant colors, while period romance usually involves darker tones. Patrick Logan’s One Wilde Night successfully conveys the gripping tale inside the pages with its suspenseful book cover. Ryan’s End Game which combines double exposure with splashes of bold color.

Choosing the right color scheme can convey the book’s mysterious, romantic, or adventurous mood. Studies have shown that when a book has a good and appealing cover, people are more likely to be interested. So, in a way, the cover is like a book’s first impression, and it can make a difference in whether someone decides to read it. If you’re placing text over a busy image, make sure you add a color overlay on top of your image to make the text pop. Again, you can easily do so in Visme using the editing toolbar.

If you’re writing a mystery book, stick with dark contrasting colors that set the tone for moody and dramatic stories. Seeing handwritten letters on a book cover design makes the book feel quirky and fun. It’s a popular trend for Young Adult fiction where readers expect to see lots of personality within the page. "Don't judge a book by its cover," but when it comes to selling books, that's exactly what your readers will do. While DIY is an option, many authors hire professional book cover design services for a polished and market-ready look.

For your budget, it’s good to consider the level of experience that your designer brings to the table. The rule of thumb is that the more experienced your designer is (and the more prestigious authors they’ve worked with), the higher you can expect their quotes to be. To find out how much you can expect their services to cost, check out this post. Meet 30 of the best professional children’s book illustrators in the industry who you can hire today. Want to know what goes into creating a poetry book layout? Learn how it all comes together from our experienced designers.