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Discover over 40 book cover ideas and learn how to design your own perfect book cover today.
- Illustration-Oriented Book Covers
- Typography-Focused Book Covers
- Genre-Specific Covers
1. Minimalism is still trendy.
To quote Antoine de Saint Exupéry: “A designer knows that he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” Minimalist covers strip a cover elegantly down to its bare essentials. Often characterized by a simple font and a marginal amount of content, these quiet, clever covers instead rely on white space to turn acres of nothing into something.
2. Employ the cover to convey the book’s “one idea.”
A great cover doesn’t necessarily need to be complex. In fact, the goal for many cover designers is simply to distill the essence of a book into one image — or “one idea,” so to speak. This simple result can be spectacular. Take the cover image for Elif Batuman’s The Idiot, which features a lone brain-shaped rock. Or Anne Michaels’ book of poetry, All We Saw, which presents an outstretched hand draped under a night sky — an image that at once imparts the book’s theme of connection in the midd...
3. The silhouette can turn heads.
Ah, the silhouette. There’s a reason why it’s so ubiquitous on covers: it’s really, really effective at getting a reader’s attention. Who wouldn’t glimpse a shadowy figure and automatically go, “Who’s THAT?” That said, you could say that the silhouette is a victim of its own nebulous triumph. It’s so common that it can be tough to make it original these days. Designers who succeed often play it against the cover typography (as in David Nicholls’ Us) or make the silhouette itself exceedingly a...
6. When typography met imagery...
Let’s start off with a bang: there’s no better illustration (!) of how powerful typographycan be than a cover that turns its typography into an image unto itself. Take the cover of Karan Mahajan’s The Association of Small Bombs, for instance: it does a brilliant job of conveying the book’s message in only a few strokes. You’ll notice that the o’s in the title end up creating the “small bombs” that are at the heart of this book. As LitHub points out, “While we expect explosions to create chaos...
7. Sometimes, the bigger and bolder, the better.
Big, bold typography on covers is another trend in recent years, and it’s not terribly hard to see why. This kind of typography shouts: “This is a book that you want to pick up.” That, or: “Here… we… go!” Like elephants in the room, these covers demand attention. Expect to see this sort of typography splashed into the midst of bright colors, as subtlety isn’t exactly the game here. You’ll frequently find it paired with books with emphatic titles, too — such as Eve Babitz’s Sex and Rage or Jon...
8. Simple typography shines a light on the illustration.
Let’s go now to the opposite end of the spectrum. Simple and understated typography is actually used with a lot of purpose on book covers — it elegantly balances the elements to best highlight the illustration. Great designers aren’t afraid to let the typography be restrained so that the illustration can take the center stage. Because of that, the end effect is stunning: covers of this kind allow the (often) jaw-dropping artworkto really grip the reader's imagination.
11. Fantasy covers show off (or strongly imply) the fantastical.
Fantasy covers often fall into two categories: the abstract or the extremely realistic. The latter sort is terrific at setting the mood, while realistic covers show readers exactly what they’re going to get. (Though it’s worth noting that recently the trend has moved away from the hyper-realistic.) If you’re writing a fantasy series, your author brand is going to be a key consideration. The font you use for the cover, the style of artwork: these are all things that will make your series (and...
12. Whimsy and charm make children’s book covers irresistible.
It probably goes without saying that this will depend on the illustrations inside of your children’s book! If you’re interested in finding out more about the illustration process that goes on behind-the-scenes, we recommend you to take this free course on publishing a children’s book.
There are more than 50 Shades of romance book covers.
Is that… steam rising off of the cover? Just kidding! This should be no surprise: romance is all about the people involved, so covers are going to put some element of that relationship front-and-center. What shouldchange is the way this is depicted, tonally. Is it a beach read? Expect a wash of brighter, warmer colors. How about if it’s a sexy, contemporary romance? Time to turn to a darker color scheme. Is there a vampire involved? Don’t be amazed if a golden-eyed man with washboard abs show...
- Look Who’s Back by Timur Vermes. This hilarious satire that imagines Hitler stuck into contemporary liberalism and democracy, stumbling on every step through this comedy of errors, has a great book cover that sees the most authentic features of the main character - the hairdo and the mustache that’s also the title of the book.
- Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection by John T. Cacioppo & William Patrick. This great cover uses typography as its greatest ally to make a poignant point.
- Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect”. The first line from Metamorphosis is one of the most famous literary openings in history.
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. This cover image looks almost childish, but anyone who has read the book knows that it’s a great cover.
- Novel Book Cover. This novel book cover template has an elegant, minimalist design with floral motifs. The stylish font in the center draws attention to the title of the book, and the deep pastel hues give a classic feel to any novel or fiction book.
- Thriller Book Cover. Make your readers shiver in excitement with this thriller book cover template. With the bright red font against a bone-chilling stock photo background, this book cover is perfect for all kinds of suspense, mystery, horror and thriller works.
- Prayer Book Cover. This prayer book cover has an elegant and calming design with floral motifs and light colors. With its soothing look and feel, this book cover is ideal for all kinds of spiritual, wellness and feminine topics.
- Creative Typography Book Cover. If you’re looking for a creative book cover template that’s minimalist and unique, this typography book cover template is a great pick.
Wise, witty and full of honest vignettes of family life, Five More Minutes is a from bestselling author-illustrator, two times CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal nominee and BookTrust Time to Read favourite, Marta Altés.
To create a cover that readers will love, graphic designers need to think outside the box. Our list of the 100 most creative cover ideas takes a look at the book covers that really stand out from the crowd. From minimalist book covers to complex and extravagant, this list has it covered.
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Browse through hundreds of professional, fully customizable book cover design templates and ideas that run the gamut of types, genres, and art styles, from formal, instructional publications, poems, to quirky, fluffy chick lits and everything in between.
