Let’s admit it- we’ve all judged a book by its cover. And maybe even liked it so much, we ended up purchasing it. And now, we’ve got a row of books we haven’t (or never will) read all because the cover caught our eyes. Here is a list of books I will buy just for the cover design:
Everything about this cover is American. It uses pop culture to represent Americans in Paris. And what’s more popular than the American-style envelope? It plays with the elements of travel and flight- whether it’s through the use of the envelope or the image of a plane taking off. I particularly like the juxtaposition of the script against the bold sans serif typeface- it gives a sense of a charming story ahead based on these font choices.
Newsonomics: Twelve New Trends that Will Shape the News You Get
How appropriate is this cover for its content? It’s no doubt that news can be acquired from absolutely everywhere now. This book cover uses the iPhone’s messaging interface. Simple and straight to the point is what makes this book design effective.
When I came across this novel, I was drawn to the photography and the mood of the cover. Icarus (Ikaros), is a Greek myth in which the main character attempts to escape from Crete with his wings of wax and feathers but when he flew, the sun melted his wings and he fell dead into the sea. The imagery on the covers shows traces of this story but it seems that the main character has either just started her mission or has already survived the plunged. I like that the title is set in a serif font- it’s playful but it doesn’t take away from the imagery. In addition, the juxtaposition of the graffiti wall with her fairy-tale like costume suggests a contemporary take on this Greek myth.
I would buy this cover just for the photography. Using chairs as visual representation of love/human emotion is absolutely brilliant. I love that the chosen typeface (Helvetica) for the title matches the style of the chair. Subtlety and wit drew me to this cover.
There is something I find beautiful and vulnerable about hand-written words that serve little aesthetic purpose. The title of this book has been hand-written more than once, showing emphasis. Its placement is almost bleeding onto the edges but not quite- giving a sense of uneasiness. The summary of the book reveals a story of a history teacher going into his class with a gun and murdering three students and a colleague. The white type (written in chalk) and black background (blackboard) in accordance to the line paper on the left margin suggest the mood of a classroom. The big cast of shadow simply adds a sense of mystery to the cover.
The imagery of this cover is truly on-point to what this sci-fi novel is about. The story revolves around a scientist and a pilot racing their way to the galaxy to uncover the origins of a star and possibly locate an alien enemy. The use of white paper on a black surface to represent the galaxy is cleverly made. I love the details on the title- it wasn`t just placed on to the surface, it`s tucked in between the circular paper which makes it part of the whole imagery.
Chances Are: Adventures in Probability
There is a great sense of harmony that I felt when I first looked at this cover- from the color palette to the configuration of the typography and the imagery. This cover definitely gives off the picture of a balanced well-coordinated story ahead. The top corner revealing that it is an ace of hearts is a great detail and also a nice place to specify the publishing company.
Whenever I see hand-written type, I automatically check if the letters are different from each other. I think hand-written type should be hand-written and not repeated. It makes the designer look lazy when the letters are duplicated and the typography loses its characteristics. I would buy this book for its cover because it is faithful to these simple details that can really add authenticity to a design.
