books

The Evolution Of Ebook Cover Design In 2023 And Tips For Designing An Effective Cover

The rise of digital literature has brought with it a new form of art – ebook cover design. As the saying goes, 'Don't judge a book by its cover,' but let's be honest, a captivating cover can make all the difference. The role of an appealing ebook cover is paramount in this digital age. It's often the first thing potential readers see and could be the deciding factor between a download or a pass – that's why it's important to use the Vista Create tool to create ebook covers.

In 2023, we've seen some interesting trends in ebook cover design that are worth noting. Let's explore these trends and also delve into some tips for designing an effective ebook cover.

Noteworthy Trends

Just as with paper books, there are different trends in the design of electronic book covers. Although they appeared with no covers or minimal cover pages due to the limitations of the first ebook formats, now we can see colorful art pieces when reading digital books. Here are the most popular types of ebook covers today:

Abstract Blends: Abstract blends are a remarkable trend that utilizes a mix of shapes, colors, and textures to create visually intriguing pieces. This style offers immense creativity and results in truly unique covers that immediately grab attention.

Bold Typography: Dramatic, bold typography continues to be popular. Large fonts create a powerful visual impact and are typically paired with busy backgrounds for a visually stimulating contrast.

Pop Art Minimalism: A blend of vibrant colors and simple shapes creates striking images. This pop art minimalism trend brings a fresh, modern twist to ebook art design.

Punk-Style Collage and Ripped Pages: Paying homage to the edgy aesthetics of the punk era, designers are incorporating collage elements and ripped page effects into their covers. This style suits books with a rebellious or counterculture theme.

Hand-Drawn Letters: Adding a personal touch to ebook covers, hand-drawn letters are particularly popular in genres like romance and memoirs, where a personal connection with the reader is key.

Return of Retro Elements: Nostalgia is a potent tool. Many designers are leveraging it with the return of retroelements, including vintage typography, color palettes, or imagery reminiscent of past decades.

Use of 3D Modeling: As technology evolves, so does cover design. Realistic 3D modeling adds an extra layer of depth and realism to the artwork.

Object-Based Covers with Symbolic Meanings: Symbolism is powerful in cover design. Object-based covers, where a single item carries significant meaning related to the book's content, have become increasingly popular.

Tips for Designing

If you are thinking of writing your own ebook or are getting ready to publish your work, you should be careful with the art that will be associated with it. Here are some tips on creating the perfect cover for your book:

Understand Your Genre: The art should reflect the genre of your book. A thriller should look thrilling, a romance should feel romantic, and sci-fi should evoke thoughts of the future or other worlds.

Keep It Simple: Don't overcrowd your first page. A simple, clean design can often be more impactful than a busy one. It also ensures that your book will still look good when shrunk down to thumbnail size on online platforms.

Use High-Quality Images: Poor-quality images can make your book look amateurish. Always use high-resolution images for your design.

Consider Your Color Choices: Colors can evoke emotions. Use them wisely to convey the mood and tone of your book.

Make the Title and Author Name Clear: These should be easy to read, even in thumbnail size. Ensure the font size is large enough and the color contrasts well with the background.

Test Your Cover: Before finalizing your cover, test it out. Show it to friends, family, or target readers and get their opinions.

While trends come and go, the key to a successful ebook cover is to create a design that captures the essence of your book and resonates with your target audience. Keep these trends and tips in mind when designing your next ebook cover, but remember, the most important thing is to stay true to your book's unique identity. An expertly designed cover can draw in readers and help your ebook stand out in the digital crowd.

The Best Book Covers Of The Year 2021

An essential part of generating this list of ten favourite book covers of the year is tracking down the designer behind each one. If that sounds rather obvious (it is the point of the post after all), the process can be trickier than you might think. While most covers are fairly easy to credit, particularly if shared by the designer, or added to their personal website, a few usually remain elusive for a time. More than a minor inconvenience for me, this is indicative of a wider problem for book cover designers.

So I'm going to start this list with a plea. Book publishers! Credit your designers when you first share images of a new cover online! You can tag them on Twitter, write their name out in full, whatever – and you don't even have to do it every time. It's only fair and everyone wins.

One of the reasons this needs addressing is that while the 'cover reveal' has become such a staple of book publishers' social media campaigns, they frequently neglect to namecheck the designer behind the very thing they're celebrating. Ebyan Egal, studio manager at Penguin, tweeted a plea for more recognition back in August and expanded on the wider problems of this non-recognition.

"In an industry where we can easily champion designers and illustrators who are most often freelance by tagging/mentioning them on posts, it's shocking when we don't," she wrote. "Particularly when looking at barriers for creatives from marginalised backgrounds a key issue is visibility – so just a mention will make an impact."

When a popular cover starts to fly, it's very hard to retroactively attach a design credit to it. Publishing (and the media that supports it) has to be better at this. One of the covers featured below, for example, was 'revealed' on Entertainment Weekly, but with no mention of Lauren Peters-Collaer who designed it. On Twitter, book designer Ingrid Paulson called out a magazine whose 'this year's trends in cover design' feature included ten covers – with no credits at all (Paulson later found the names herself and annotated the spread).

When a popular cover starts to fly, it's very hard to retroactively attach a design credit to it. Publishing (and the media that supports it) has to be better at this

All this comes at a time when there are more book covers floating around online and more coverage of them as a medium than ever before. Trend pieces have become increasingly popular as a result, from Vulture's 2019 piece on the prominence of what it called "statement wallpaper and fatty text" or The Week's 2020 focus on "blobs of suggestive colours". This year Lit Hub looked briefly at a "rainbows" trend, while Eye on Design kicked off a wider thematic appraisal of the rise of a "bright, nebulous style" (colourful blob designs) in an examination of the book cover as "the product of intermingling cultural and economic forces", generating plenty of discussion in the process. Print then followed this up with another take on the popularity of "colourful, abstract formalism".

In each case, the covers highlighted were undoubtedly similar, but it remains the case that there are still an awful lot of covers out there that don't subscribe to any discernible 'look'. Successful titles can start to dictate a formula or type, but it's not exactly a crisis. The Casual Optimist did a good summation of some of the observations that came out of all this – "on the whole, book covers (like movie posters) don't all look the same. Not really."

But what of the great work this year? Well, before the individual covers line up, I should note a few impressive series designs. Stand-outs include La Boca's neon extravaganza for The Folio Society's four-volume set of Philip K Dick's collected short stories and also the new Faber Editions series of republished (cult) classics, which are beautiful standalone paperbacks.

Faber senior designer Peter Adlington needs crediting here both for his design of Mrs Caliban by Rachel Ingalls, as part of the Faber Editions set, but also for creating one of the most well-known covers of the year for Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun, which came out in March. This bold piece of work inevitably became ubiquitous, yet despite its familiarity it still manages to look great. The redesign of Ishiguro's entire backlist also came out of Adlington's distinctive approach to the author's latest work (Spine did a great write up on its genesis).

So, without further ado, here are ten of my personal favourites from this year:

With Teeth by Kristen Arnett; Publisher: Riverhead; Design: Lauren Peters-Collaer

Strong, graphic lettering by Lauren Peters-Collaer transforms a two-word title into white teeth set within an open mouth. A fantastic, eye-catching visual treatment. The UK edition puts the design into a different colourway – and adds a yellow tooth (!). Art Direction: Helen Yentus.

Being a Human: Adventures in 40,000 Years of Consciousness by Charles Foster; Publisher: Profile Books; Design: James Jones

Capturing the essence of 'being human', James Jones eschews some of the more familiar 'evolution' tropes in favour of a photo of a bone pendant from the Upper Paleolithic period (discovered in the Czech Republic). The expression is everything: crude yet perfectly relatable, almost emoji-like in its dead-pan visual power. Art Director: Steve Panton. Photograph: Getty Images.

Intimacies by Katie Kitamura; Publisher: Riverhead; Design: Jaya Miceli

This striking cover by Jaya Miceli makes good use of two contrasting colours, but it's the crop of the illustration that works particularly brilliantly. Taking influence from the novel's title, what at first seem like abstract lines are in fact the outlines of two bodies; a pair of eyes and a single hand helping to delineate the embracing figures. Close-up, intimate and clever. Art director: Helen Yentus.

Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion; Publisher: HarperCollins; Design: Jo Thomson

The cover for Joan Didion's essay collection from earlier this year shows a command of both typeface and type placement (the title is in Canela; the author's name in Dala Floda). Jo Thomson uses the long title to frame the portrait but also runs the text right across the image without disrupting its power (Didion's eyes are allowed to look right out at the reader). An elegant arrangement of image, type and layout.

Edge Case by Yz Chin; Publisher: Ecco/HarperCollins; Design: Na Kim

Just some tomatoes? Well, yes and no: the state of each of the five fruits depicted in the artwork suggest that the passage of time is also being evoked here. Na Kim will be a familiar name to many 'best of' lists over the years – and she doesn't disappoint with this bold cover, for which she also created the art. The jagged stalk is a nice counterpoint to the round shapes, while differentiating title and author name by colour is also a deft touch. Art director: Elizabeth Yaffe.

Somebody Loves You by Mona Arshi; Publisher: And Other Stories; Design: Holly Ovenden

My notes for this list show I wrote one word next to this book cover: 'weird'. And so it is for all the right reasons: the garden's flatness is strange, the boxing (and placement) of the title and author's name unusual, while beyond the insects and bisecting plants, there's even a lone eye and vertical mouth. Designed and illustrated by Holly Ovenden, there's a pink special edition out there as well. Art director: Tom Etherington.

Aftermath by Preti Taneja; Publisher: Transit; Design: Anna Morrison

Aftermath is one of a series of four essay collections from Transit, each designed by Anna Morrison in collaboration with publisher Adam Levy. Each cover makes use of a minimal artwork created from a few simple brushstroke gestures. The result, as here, is a classic, pared-back cover design that you just want to pick up. (I also have a soft spot for adding the publisher's name on the front cover.)

God of Mercy by Okezie Nwọka; Publisher: Astra House; Design: Sara Wood

This cover by Sara Wood has everything: an arresting, textured portrait made even more dramatic by the inclusion of some fiery illustrative marks. Vibrant and eye-catching, it's also a little bit unnerving in its own way. The colours work together brilliantly. Art director: Rodrigo Corral. Photograph: ©peeterv/Getty Images.

All of the Marvels by Douglas Wolk; Publisher: Profile Books; Design: Will Staehle

This well-observed cover for Douglas Wolk's account of reading every single Marvel comic suits its subject perfectly. The layout and type treatment honour the medium, while the scuffed corner is a lovely touch that perhaps hints at the less-than-serious (though no doubt massively labour-intensive) approach to creating this unique publishing history. It looks like a true celebration.

Pure Gold by John Patrick McHugh; Publisher: New Island/4th Estate; Design: Jack Smyth

Another great type-based cover from Jack Smyth, who can seemingly turn his hand to all kinds of wonderful letters (check out his Antkind cover of last year, for example). There's something of a pint of beer-like feel to this one, but it's the condensed and shadowed letters themselves – containing whorls of handprints and earthy textures – that suggest stranger things may lie within.

The Entrepreneur's Guide To Publishing: How To Transform Ideas Into A Successful Book

By Vikrant Shaurya, CEO of Authors On Mission, helping entrepreneurs and professionals write, publish, and market their books.

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As an entrepreneur, you wear multiple hats, from product visionary to marketing guru. But have you considered adding "published author" to your multifaceted resume? Writing a book can do wonders for your personal brand and set you apart as a thought leader in your industry. Let me break down the essential steps that can help you transform your innovative ideas into a successful book.

1. Establish your purpose and target audience.

Before you put pen to paper, it's crucial to understand why you are writing this book. Is it to share your entrepreneurial journey, offer business insights or establish yourself as an authority in your niche? Identifying the purpose will guide your content and writing style. Additionally, pinpointing your target audience will help you tailor your message.

2. Brainstorm and organize your ideas.

Entrepreneurs are brimming with ideas. But when it comes to writing a book, you need to focus. Make a list of all the topics and insights you want to include. Next, organize these ideas into a logical structure. Creating an outline or a table of contents can serve as your road map.

3. Commit to a writing schedule.

Time is the scarcest resource for an entrepreneur. Therefore, it's imperative to carve out dedicated writing time. Whether it's early mornings or late nights, find what works for you and commit to it. Remember, even writing for just 30 minutes a day can add up over time.

4. Seek professional help if needed.

Sometimes, entrepreneurs might have great ideas but lack the time or writing skills to translate them into a book. This is where professional help comes in. Consider hiring a ghostwriter who can pen down your thoughts or an editor to refine your manuscript.

The ghostwriting process involves a close professional relationship. Your ghostwriter should listen intently, show genuine interest in your project, and be able to convey your vision in your voice. Comfort with the writer is key.

Before commencing work, establish clear terms of engagement. These include confidentiality, rights, compensation, expectations about revisions and the timeline.

To find a suitable ghostwriter, look for strong writing skills, industry understanding and knowledge of your target audience. Ask for writing samples to assess their style and versatility, and seek references from previous clients to verify their professionalism and reliability.

Lastly, maintain regular communication with your ghostwriter. This will ensure your project remains on track and that the final result aligns with your vision. A good ghostwriter is not just a hired writer but a strategic partner in your authorship journey.

5. Design an appealing cover and optimize the layout.

Judging a book by its cover is not just a saying; it's a real phenomenon. An attractive cover can grab the attention of potential readers. Work with a professional designer to create a cover that reflects your book's theme and your brand. Also, ensure that the interior layout is reader-friendly.

The book design process should align with the heart of your content and your personal brand. The cover should not just attract attention but also hint at the book's theme and appeal to your target audience.

Consider design elements that reflect your book's content and your brand's identity. For instance, specific colors, fonts and images can help convey your message and establish brand recognition.

When designing the interior, ensure it's reader-friendly. The right font, spacing and organized elements like a table of contents can enhance the reading experience.

Engage a professional designer to capture your vision accurately. Also, obtain feedback on the design before finalizing it.

In essence, thoughtful book design can significantly impact your book's reception, providing a visual cue to the value readers will discover within.

6. Select the right publishing platform.

Nowadays, authors are not restricted to traditional publishing houses. There are a number of platforms available that allow you to easily self-publish your book. Research different publishing options and choose the one that aligns with your goals and budget.

7. Create a marketing strategy.

Writing a book is only half the battle; marketing it is equally crucial. As an entrepreneur, you already have marketing acumen. Leverage your network, social media and other marketing channels to create buzz. Engage with your audience and consider running promotions or giveaways.

8. Gather reviews and feedback.

Positive reviews can significantly impact your book's success. Reach out to your network and request honest reviews. Moreover, be open to constructive feedback, as it can offer insights for potential future editions or new projects.

9. Monitor sales and adjust strategy.

Track your book's sales data and reader engagement. If the book is not performing as expected, don't hesitate to reevaluate and tweak your marketing strategy.

10. Plan your next steps.

Publishing a book can open new doors. Reflect on how this accomplishment fits into your larger professional goals. Maybe it's speaking engagements, a series of books or using your book as a tool to grow your business.

Embarking on the authorship journey can be immensely rewarding. It's not just about adding a new achievement to your portfolio but also about sharing your knowledge and contributing to the entrepreneurial community. So take that leap, and let your words inspire others.

Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?

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