Covers Matter

Although the quality of a book's content is in no way determined by its cover, consumers are more prone to pick up a book that has a well-designed, eye-catching cover than a book that is simply binded together by a solid colored cover. Some people may disagree with the above statement, but through my own experience in libraries or at a book store, I always go for the books with interesting cover designs.

Surely many have heard the saying "don't judge a book by its cover." However, in a world that includes millions of books by millions of authors, competition is tough. If authors want their books to sell, their publishers must get creative and hire cover designers and illustrators to make the outer appearance of the book more appealing to the eye, outdoing the books that will inevitably be placed next to them on shelves in stores.

One example can be seen among the three books required for all Design 001 students at UC Davis. The books are shown below:

At first glance, McCloud's Understanding Comics catches the eye the most. The reason for this occurrence is due to the colors used for the cover. The colors are vibrant, exciting, and they spark curiosity. Even if an individual has no interest in comics, he or she will most likely give the book a second look. In second place – in terms of cover design – is Lauer and Pentak’s Design Basics. Although the cover deals with variety, unity, and colors, it is not as visually intriguing as McCloud’s book. Lastly, Josef Albers’ Interaction of Color lacks variety in the interaction of colors on its cover. There are essentially two colors present on the cover which are the different shades of purple rectangles and the white border around them. Though I am sure the inside content is more interesting than the cover, it would definitely not be the first book many consumers would take off a bookshelf.

The success associated with books, as well as other marketable products, lies within the techniques utilized to make them appealing – techniques that are essential to designers who want to capture the attention of the public, and to advertisers who wish to sell their company’s products.

*Images found on google and arranged by Mandy Chew