An Insight On The Need For A Good Book Cover Design

The best book cover designs might be considered best for a number of reasons, and not all of these are design-related. Strength Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath, published by Gallup Press, does not particularly stand out for its dynamic, unique treatment or it its artful illustration. There are no illustrative elements, no photographs, nor is there any use of calligraphy. A simple, medium-sized, red, sans-serif typeface is used for the title, centered on the page. As of today, the book has remained on The New York Times Bestseller List for 1722 days.

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, published by Scribner, utilizes simple, sans-serif type against a pale blue background, but includes a small illustrative element "a small child whispering into another child’s ear"centered on the page. This book has remained on The New York Times Bestseller List for 1946 days.

The author and the topic are certainly compelling reasons for the popularity of a book and its sales, but it is often the dynamic of the Book Covers Designs that first place the book into the hands of a potential reader. A designer of book covers must always keep this point in clear view. The design is not meant or required to stand on its own, but to define, enhance and make accessible the product to which it is applied. The best book cover designs often manage to serve both design and commerce, but their primary purpose is to convey information and attract attention to the book.

Several book cover designs come to mind from the past year that are worth looking at because they are unique, and, well, brilliant. Vault, by David Rose, designed by David Pearson for Salt Publishing is a beautiful representation of type alone as a powerful visual illustration.

The Waves, by Virginia Woolf, designed by Coralie Bickford Smith, is a cover that could as easily lend itself to being matted, framed and hung in the living room. The bold swashes of color, the sense of movement and dynamic, are highlights of many of the best modern paintings, and in this case highlights of the work of a very talented designer of book covers.

The design for the cover of Oceana by Ted Danson with Michael D’Orso, designed by Paul Kepler for Rodale Books, is simple, elegiac and elegant.

These all deserve mention in any discussion of the best book cover designs for this past year, and all would serve well as creative inspiration for your research on book covers designs. They are diverse and unique, but above all, they are well considered and each executed by a fine designer of book covers.

It is worth the effort to compile and regularly update a tearsheet file of cover designs that have caughtyour attention, to use as a source file for your next project, whether you are the writer, the designer, or both. Remaining exposed to the best work, as well as the most successful, will give you balance and focus for your book projects.