Book covers are an author’s most important marketing tool. No matter how many ads they place or how much exposure on Amazon the book gets, when a person picks up the book, the cover has a lot of work to do.
I read somewhere* that on average a design gets 2 seconds of a viewer’s attention. 2 SECONDS to grab a viewer’s attention, communicate what the content of the book is and get the viewer to decide to buy the book. That’s a lot going on in 2 seconds!
*While ‘somewhere’ isn’t exactly siting my sources, I’m hoping you’ll trust me on this one.
So it’s probably no surprise that the cover design and review process is an intense one. The creative process begins with discussions around the number one takeaway of the book, the overall style of the project and who the audience is. Knowing who we are targeting and how the book is going to be used is often the most important factor. We then discuss the photography, source locations and brainstorm props. The layout concepts are discussed and the photos are shot with the design in mind.
Sometimes the right concept just reveals itself early in the process and we are able to plan, source, shoot, design and get approval. No sweat. Well…some sweat, but not an over-the-top amount of sweat.
And sometimes, we plan, source, shoot, design and really like what we’ve got buuuuut, something just doesn’t feel right. That was the case with The Quilter’s Field Guide to Color by Rachel Hauser for Lucky Spool.
This is where we started with the book design: Showing a gorgeous space with a quilt that looked like it was made specifically for that room color-wise. Subtly showing readers how using the tools in this field guide could help them make the perfect quilt for their space.
Pretty, right? But while we agreed that it was nice styling and a nice photo, the gist of the book wasn’t being communicated. Nowhere on here would people understand the incredible resource that was inside waiting for them! This is a field guide, a workbook, a hands-on experimental tome of information! This pretty photo isn’t hardworking enough for this book.
So after more discussion and direction from the publisher and author, we styled an eye-catching in-process shot that communicated HOW this book actually works. The image the team ended up publishing actually shows readers what’s inside the book waiting for them and indicates that this isn’t just another pretty book—this book will get used and referenced for years to come.
These two covers take up the same amount of space and are given the same amount of time from the viewer. By using the cover as a marketing tool, Rachel was able to communicate the concept of her book to potential readers in 2 seconds.
Happy designing!
+ Kristy
Project: The Quilter’s Field Guide to Color
Author: Rachel Hauser
Publisher: Lucky Spool
Book Design + Photography: Page + Pixel
Additional Photography: Rachel Hauser