01. Understand the story first A book cover should encapsulate the essence of the story. Before diving into the design, read the book or discuss its themes with the author.

These days, I design book covers for Giramondo Publishing. A cover designer’s role is to interpret a book visually, reflecting what the author and publisher have achieved in the text.

Next, Olsen advises checking out some online resources like The Book Cover Archive, The Casual Optimist, FaceOut Books, and Design Observer's 50 Books/50 Covers for more ideas.

You might not have heard of book cover design's "7 second" test, but if you've ever wondered through a bookstore, you've undoubtedly tried it yourself. Pick up a book, glance at the front and back ...

From RTÉ Radio 1's The Business, novelist Ella Griffin and book designer Graham Thew on the art of judging a book by its cover Technological advances have added to the need for visual branding as ...

Monday marks the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice — fun fact: the book's original title was the questionably Skinemax-sounding First Impressions — and the publishing world is awash in ...

Chéri and the End of Chéri by Colette; Design: Sarahmay Wilkinson; Publisher: WW Norton Everything on this cover is hand-painted, and with the petals and rose heads flying around, it’s effectively an ...

But lately, another cover design trend has been popping up on this summer’s crop of beach reads: the flat woman. Inspired by the “ flat design ” that’s become standard on the Web, these ...

And once the book is published, many of those people would remember that they had a say in the cover choice, and maybe there’s a higher chance of purchase because of that. Everybody wins.