Designing the cover of your book, more than a challenge
It is difficult to underestimate the importance of designing the cover of your book in a professional manner, since, as you well know and as the old saying goes, “everything enters through the eyes.” Unfortunately, cover design is an aspect of the publishing process that many authors struggle with. To fix it, some people simply hire a graphic designer and that’s it. This solution is simple and often effective if you are able to communicate clearly with your designer about what you want.
However, hiring a professional to design your book cover is not an option that all authors can afford. As such, they themselves must be the designers of their own cover. But, many times, even if you have watched all the tutorials on YouTube about how to handle the graphic design program that you are going to use, you cannot capture the idea you have in your head. If you are one of these authors who has trouble creating a cover that looks both professional and pleasing to the eye, don’t worry. You are definitely not alone.
We have a surprise for you…
So what should you do if you want to design your book cover, but can’t quite get that professional look? In our experience, one thing that can help you is adopting the mindset of a graphic designer. Simply following a few rules of thumb can dramatically improve your wikipedia writer skills, significantly increasing your book sales figures.
Lucky for you, we recently had the pleasure of discussing this topic with Marta, the cover designer behind » Cur de designers with us, we hope the following interview inspires you and helps you develop your own skills in designing your book cover! Check out their Instagram account or Twitter, you won’t regret it!
The interview
Marta was born in Vigo in 1986 and considers herself a Photoshop addict. Her love affair with graphic design began when she was 14 years old and hasn’t stopped since. A fan of drawing and creative by nature, graphic design hooked her to the level of learning to use Photoshop on her own.
However, until a few years ago he had not considered that his hobby could become something he could pursue professionally. He surely would never have done it if he had not been offered to design the first of what are now many book covers. Currently, he collaborates with independent publishers and self-published authors to whom he offers his graphic design skills to create the covers of his books.
- Book cover design is quite a particular area to specialize in – is there any particular reason why you’ve chosen to focus on it? How long have you been doing it?
I started designing covers in 2015. Until then I had never considered it and to be honest, ending up designing covers for books could be said to have been a bit of a coincidence. On the one hand, I started with graphic design because when I was 14 years old, an image editing program came into my hands and I fell in love with it. On the other hand, a few years after this, my life crossed paths with that of Scarlett de Pablo (founder of Escalate Editions) before either of us knew that she was going to end up dedicating herself to the publishing world. Scarlett knew about my graphic design skills so she wanted to bet on me and she gave me the opportunity to design some covers for the publisher. From there, it’s history.
- For many authors who decide to self-publish, the most difficult part of creating a cover for their books is that they don’t know where to start. To that end, could you describe your creative process for us, from the initial phase to finding inspiration and creating the actual design?
The process is different if it is an author or a publisher who commissions you to design a design or if I do it from scratch. Many times the publisher or the author already has a very clear idea and my role is simply to give it shape. When not, the first thing I do is look for inspiration in other covers of the genre in question. I pay attention to the colors, the composition or, simply, those covers that catch my attention. Afterwards, I look for good quality photos in image banks that I like and that I think can serve the idea that I begin to have in mind. I always try to choose several and have more than one option prepared because many times, what you have in mind in the design program does not work. Lastly, I do tests. I play around changing elements, adding and removing things, I try other colors… Once the design convinces me,
- What programs do you use to design your covers?
Photoshop to design them and InDesign to make them ready for printing. However, with each passing day I think more about switching to Gimp and Scribes, which are free alternatives to these two programs.
- How long does a cover design take from the first sketch to the final product?
There is no certain time. Most of the time it comes from getting that click that makes you connect with the rap writers and what they are looking for in their book. Sometimes you can have a cover ready in a couple of days and other times the process can take weeks due to small details to modify. When I design pre-designed covers and I let myself be carried away by my inspiration or what I feel like doing at that moment, the process can take about four or five hours in total if everything goes smoothly.
- Could you tell us some keys to making a cover effective and eye-catching? That is, what are the most important elements when making a cover?
Personally, I believe that a cover should represent the book as faithfully as possible. There are hundreds of novel covers that only show a beautiful landscape or print… but don’t say anything about the story. If I had to choose some of the most important elements, and that I use continually, they would be characters from the book in the foreground or in a prominent place and the location where the story takes place or some element that evokes what the reader is going to find in the pages of the book. In addition, I would also highlight the correct use of typography. Choosing a font that does not match the genre of the book, that is illegible or too busy can spoil the most beautiful composition in the world.
- Are there any general tips or guidelines that you think could help amateur cover designers?
When designing a book cover, I would recommend that you look at what is being done in the literary genre in question. You can always innovate, and many times it is what helps you stand out, but when you are starting out it is best to be inspired by the work of others, take the essential elements or those that are repeated in most designs and adapt them to your project.
- What is your favorite book cover that wasn’t designed by you?
Saying just one is complicated. For example, I love the covers of “Paper and Ink” or “La Villa de las Fabrics”, “Caravel” or those of the “Sombart y Bone” trilogy. And those you remember right now, the list could be endless.
- Last but not least, do you have a favorite genre when it comes to designing a book cover?
The truth is, no. It’s true that I usually lean more towards romance novels, but designing a cover for a genre that I don’t master is always a challenge and I would be lying if I said that I don’t love getting out of my comfort zone and pushing my limits with each project. For me, each cover is a new opportunity to improve as a designer.