Principles of Visual Design LCC 2720Instructor: Brian Schrank

Book Cover Design

Book Cover Types

…color manipulation in Photoshop

Lecture Overview:

Generic Book Cover Template

Just do the front cover

… but do not followthe generic template!

“Book design should be matched with book conception. The designer should understand the book content totally and represent it visually.”

—Jianping He

“A good book cover is like an honest smile and a firm handshake.”

—Joe Marianek

“A good book cover is one that strikes a balance between presenting the experience of the book and capturing a particular vision or essence.”

—Brett Phillips

Six Book Cover Types

Six Book Cover Types

• Documentary• Evocative• Conceptual• Typographic• -• Brand• Packaged

Six Book Cover Types

• Documentary• Evocative• Conceptual• Typographic• -• Brand• Packaged

Brand Cover

• Double Purpose:– promoting individual title

– promoting brand (or series)

Brand Cover

Brand Cover

Six Book Cover Types

• Documentary• Evocative• Conceptual• Typographic• -• Brand• Packaged

Package Cover

Book Cover Types

• Documentary

• Evocative

• Conceptual

• Typographic

• -

Documentary Cover

• Representative image of what book contains

• “What you see is what you get."

Documentary Cover

• Photographic

• Literal

Documentary Cover

• Not a cover…– Like a first page

Documentary Cover

• Portal

• Stage

Don’t Doa Documentary Cover

Book Cover Types

• Documentary

• Evocative

• Conceptual

• Typographic

Evocative Cover

• Express emotions through forms, lines, shapes– 100 Thumbnails Project

• Phenomenology– Synthesthesia

Evocative Cover

• Abundance

• Energy

• Splash

• Neo-Retro

• Trashy

Evocative Cover

• Feelings

• Associations

Evocative Cover

• Mood

• Memory

• Body images

Evocative Cover

• Uncanny

• Strange effect

• Body images

Evocative Cover

• Shock

• Body images

Book Cover Types

• Documentary

• Evocative

• Conceptual

• Typographic

Conceptual Cover

• Represent book's content through an amusing:– visual allegory

– pun

– paradox

– cliché

• Seeing it causes a "smile in the mind”– “This book has a witty cover: I recognized its wit

because I'm intelligent.”

Conceptual Cover

• Tiny “aha” moment

Conceptual Cover

• Universal Memory

• Cultural Cliché

• (Unexpected Design)

• So bad it’s good– Like high school

Conceptual Cover

• Symbol

• Super obvious– Children’s Book

• Worn wood grain texture makes it interesting

Conceptual Cover

• Self-referential

• Referential– Atlas

Conceptual Cover

Take photographs...

Conceptual Cover

Take photographs...

Book Cover Types

• Documentary

• Evocative

• Conceptual

• Typographic

Typographic Cover

Text Integrated

with image

(irony)

Typographic Cover

Text as Image

(encyclopedic

knowledge)

Typographic Cover

Text as Image

(emotional bits)

Typographic Cover

Text as Metaphor

(quantum physics

is counter-intuitive)

How’s a book coverlike a logo?

Good Logos are

• Distinct (from other logos, simple)

• Innovative (clever use of line, shape, text)

• Versatile (can be used in real world)

• Evocative (of company’s concepts/emotions)

Good Book Covers are

• Distinct (from other book covers)

• Innovative (clever use of image, type, form)

Good Book Covers are

• Distinct (from other book covers)

• Innovative (clever use of image, type, form)

• Evocative

• Conceptual

• Typographic

Now some Photoshop tips…