AWARD-WINNING COVER DESIGNER TELLS ALL!

By Paula Lozar

Felicia Cedillos, an award-winning book cover designer for UNM Press, shared her knowledge with NMBA members at our March 20 workshop. She spoke from the perspective of a designer rather than an author, but if you’re an author hiring a designer for your book cover, or if you are designing a cover yourself, you will find her insights helpful.

• Who is the audience for your book? An academic audience has different expectations for a cover than a trade book audience (factual vs. eye-catching).
  
• The designer should read the book and note any important themes, characters, or visuals that could be used on the cover. The author and designer should discuss the author’s vision for the book and anything the author does not want to appear on the cover (no spoilers!).
• Fonts are important. It’s best to use a serif font for the book text, but on the cover, anything goes. But it’s best to limit yourself to two font families, as more will look too “busy.” (You can use italic, bold, or script versions of the same font, and vary the sizes.)
• Cover images can be realistic, photo-based, or illustrative. If you can’t create the image you want, hire an illustrator or photographer. There are also websites that offer photos or vector images that you can alter. IMPORTANT: Make sure that it’s a high-resolution image (a photo on your phone camera isn’t!), and get the appropriate permissions before you use it. Image websites will include that information.
• The image should have a purpose—don’t use an image just because you think a book cover should have one. But it doesn’t have to express the title directly; the back-cover copy is there for that purpose.
• Likewise, the colors you use should reflect the imagery in the book, either directly or indirectly. For example, for a “danger” theme you could use the colors of caution signs, yellow and black. Colors have an emotional weight. If you want to use a specific color, refer to the Pantone Matching System when talking to your printer.
• Don’t forget the back cover, and especially the spine, because that’s what will be most visible when your book is on the shelf. It’s often effective to carry elements of the front cover design around to the back. You can also use special effects: metallics, gloss, embossing, foil stamping, etc. And consider whether you want to use a matte or glossy finish.
• It can take many iterations to come up with the right cover. Don’t throw out any of your previous versions; if you’re stuck, you can then go back to an earlier design for ideas. Get feedback from people whose design aesthetic you respect, and check with the author too.
• The design should enhance the author’s words, not detract from them. Follow the material and don’t be distracted by trends—you want your design to be timeless.

What is missing from this summary: the many examples of cover designs (good and not so good) and the process a designer goes through to create them. By the end of the workshop, everyone in the room was enthusiastically critiquing the cover designs!