By Ian Acheson
We all know how important a cover
is in attracting readers. After all, it’s the first thing they see on the
shelf, be it online or in real life. Covers also happen to be a topic we all
have an opinion on. But what makes a cover good? And not just good, but great?
A few weeks ago on Australasian
Christian Writers (ACW), author and friend, Andrea Grigg shared two posts on
the subject. Interestingly, she interviewed her daughter, Melissa Dalley, who
happens to be a Creative Design Manager, and the producer of a number of book
covers including Andrea’s two novels.
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| The covers of Andrea's 2 novels |
The response to the two posts was
so positive I thought it would be great to share Melissa’s insights with the
ICFW community. I’ve condensed the two posts into one. It’s a longer post than
normal but I think it’s one we’ll be very interested in especially those of us
who are moving in the self-publishing space
So please welcome mother and
daughter, Andrea and Melissa to ICFW.
Andrea: Personal preferences aside, there are
two basic principles with which I’m sure we would all agree: First, the
image used needs to reflect the genre and relate to the story. Second, the
title and author’s name must be easy to read (including the spine if the book
is going to print)
But there’s obviously far more to
it than that. What are the essentials for cover design?
Mel: I’m
sure most people think the essentials are the image and the font(s) you choose,
the colours and balance of the artwork. But there’s something even more
important, and that is knowing your primary target audience. Having this established sets the stage
for everything else. I can’t emphasize it enough. It directly affects all
further choices.
Andrea: You’re
right, that wasn’t the answer I was expecting but it makes a lot of sense. And because
it wasn't something I'd thought of myself, it made me realise there's a lot I
don't know about the world of design. Which brings me to the next
question.
What other reasons are there for
me to employ a graphic designer rather than attempt to create a cover myself?
Mel: There
are many reasons, but for now I’ll give you three.
The biggest one is time. What a designer can do in an hour would probably take you
three to four hours. Wouldn’t it be wiser to use your time writing? A designer has years of training
behind them and have acquired a unique skill-set, just like a writer has a
unique ability to write. I know people design their own covers to save money,
but why not view the employment of a graphic designer as an investment in the
lifespan of your book? Even to the untrained eye it can be obvious when covers
are designed by someone without training. You want your book to stand out for
the right reasons, not the wrong ones.
Another reason is a very
practical one, to do with the printing process.
In the design world, Microsoft
Publisher and Word are equivalent to swear words! (Something I was told over
and over during my training). Those programs are very limiting. They’re
not pre-prepped (when you need to get everything set up for a professional
printer). Some printers I work with won’t accept work unless done by a graphic
designer. This is because errors can occur when working with Publisher and
other programs not intended for professional printing and design. They’re not accurate
enough and can become file corrupted.
Thirdly, I'll address some
excellent questions raised by an ACW member. She wanted to know if it was
possible to have covers that wouldn't become outdated, and what to avoid in
pictures and fonts to make them stay relevant and attractive.
This all comes back to the
designer you use and their knowledge of trends, having a well-communicated
brief, and what you envision for a shelf life. For a designer to keep their
job, they need to be up to date and know the latest trends. If you're not in
the game then it's very hard to know these things.
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| Other covers Melissa has worked on |
Andrea: Fair enough. So what can I do to get the best result from my
graphic designer?
Mel: First,
find one who’s not afraid to give you an honest opinion.
Second, write the best brief you
possibly can, explaining what you’re after. The content and research that goes
into this is very important.
Third, send the top three images
you’ve seen of other books in your genre that match your ideas and thoughts for
your own. It will save you time and money with your designer. It will also stop
you from looking like everyone else.
Andrea: Which
rookie errors stand out the most?
Mel: That’s
an easy answer. Fonts and their colour choices, and balance.
Andrea: Okay,
so could you please expand on those?
Mel: Sure.
As far as fonts are concerned, don’t use what’s automatically on your computer.
It’s quite limiting and it shows.
Second, make sure you know which
style fits with your genre. Swirly and flirty is great for romance. There are
many modern styles available for non-fiction and Young Adult (again, depending
on the genre), and some great creepy styles for mysteries etc.
Third, be aware that some fonts
come with copyright issues. However, you can purchase fonts for use, often between
$5-$500, (similar to images), and this gives you the legal right to use them.
I mostly use myfonts.com for
purchase but there are Royalty Free and free fonts all over the internet. (Be
aware the free types aren’t always that great – they can be cheap-looking). The
most important thing is to read all the licensing and understand what the fine
print means.
As far as balance goes, the text
shouldn’t be too heavily positioned on one side, nor should the imagery.
Balance is also about the reader not having to turn their head to see
something. Sometimes it can be an automatic reaction and we want to avoid that!
Andrea: Great
advice. Now, what can you tell us about images?
Mel: Obviously, the
image you use must fit your genre. I generally buy images from Shutterstock and
iStock. Their imagery is licensed for use on book covers. Again, the fine print
must be read.
In my opinion, Photoshop is the
best software for editing imagery and Adobe Suite is the best program for
designing and editing for book cover design and imagery editing. It gives you
more control and helps make sure your work is up to speed for printing specs.
Someone asked about Gimp, but I’m afraid I don’t know anything about it.
If you intend using a
photographer for a custom photo, you need to brief him/her as you would if a
designer was creating your cover. Remember to ask about their rights for
reproducing and marketing their shots.
A logo is another form of imagery
used on a cover. I recommend a designer to create one of these as they can be
tricky, especially when used on a spine. Again, give the designer a well
thought out brief, and include examples of logos you’ve seen and liked.
There’s a stack of good
counsel in Melissa’s comments. Please thank Andrea and Melissa for such an informative
post and we look forward to receiving any comments and questions you may have.
Andrea Grigg was born in Auckland, New
Zealand, but moved to Australia when she was in her mid-twenties, which now
seems like an awfully long time ago. Andrea
didn’t begin writing until the year she turned fifty and is glad she took so
long to get started because now she has lots and lots of story fodder from all
the people she has met. She has written two contemporary Christian romance
novels, ‘A Simple Mistake’ and ‘Too Pretty’ and is currently working on a
Christmas novella as part of a box set to be released as an e-book later this
year. The best way to contact Andrea is by email: andreagrigg(at)live(dot)com.
Melissa
Dalley has a degree in Marketing and eCommerce, and
a diploma in Graphic Design and PrePress. She works as a Creative Design
Manager for a well-known shopping centre group, is on the board for a charity
as their marketing and creative adviser, and freelances designs for authors and
small businesses. Not only that, she is a wife to Robb and privileged
caretaker of two cats, Jimi and Scout. You can reach her at:
melissadalley(at)live(dot)com
