{"id":14870,"date":"2021-07-27T09:02:44","date_gmt":"2021-07-27T16:02:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/picsart.com\/blog\/post\/create-book-cover-for-graphic-design-contest"},"modified":"2021-08-19T10:47:25","modified_gmt":"2021-08-19T17:47:25","slug":"create-book-cover-for-graphic-design-contest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/picsart.com\/blog\/create-book-cover-for-graphic-design-contest\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s How You Can Use Simple Graphic Design to Make Your Own Book Cover"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all heard the saying \u201cdon\u2019t judge a book by its cover.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

While this adage about not jumping to conclusions might be good life advice, when it comes to a literal book, the cover should actually help us come to a few conclusions.<\/span><\/p>\n

A great book cover cues us into the genre, style, and tone of the work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In recent years, book covers have gone from great to excellent, with many novels looking like Instagram-ready, coffee-table books. Bold colors, modern fonts, and perfectly edited images have come together to make books that look so good they\u2019re practically accessories.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The best part? The cover is just the start. It\u2019s the perfect invitation to cozy up with the great story that unfolds in the pages.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Screenshots of covers sourced from <\/span>Goodreads<\/span><\/a><\/h6>\n

When you set out to create your own book cover \u2014 or any kind of <\/span>cover<\/span><\/a> for that matter \u2014 start with a solid plan and remember that less is more. Complexity doesn\u2019t come from adding a ton of elements; it comes from layering the right elements in the right way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Set the Tone<\/b><\/h3>\n

There are two important questions to ask yourself when starting a book cover design. What is this book about? How does this book make me feel? Your responses will guide your creativity. The goal is to make a cover that represents the text.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Your responses don\u2019t have to be complicated. Your book cover just needs to give the viewer an idea of the setting and style. Start with the basics. Fiction covers \u2014 no matter the time period or content of the text \u2014 are usually eye-catching and aesthetically pleasing, while non-fiction titles can look more serious or academic.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Screenshots of covers sourced from <\/span>Goodreads<\/span><\/a><\/h6>\n

Then, get a bit more specific. Historical romances, for example, often have covers containing heavy scripts and dreamy images of landscapes. Meanwhile, modern romance covers tend to stick to the essentials: a hip graphic, contrasting colors, and a laid-black font.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Screenshots of covers sourced from <\/span>Goodreads<\/span><\/a><\/h6>\n

Whatever you decide, do it with feeling. Even within the same genre, content and tone can be very different. Take poetry, for example. A lyrical love poem might leave you feeling pensive, while a powerful contemporary one is likely to make you feel energized. Try to give your book cover that same vibe. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Screenshots of covers sourced from <\/span>Goodreads<\/span><\/a><\/h6>\n

Graphic or Photo: That is The Question<\/b><\/h3>\n

There are two kinds of book covers in this world: those that contain photos and those that do not. If you don\u2019t know where else to start, deciding on this point will set you on the right track. There are no rules, so go with your gut. Both serious and lighthearted texts use photographs on the cover, and we\u2019ve seen plenty of styles of books in the aforementioned examples that have purely graphic covers: font, color, shapes, and nothing else.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Screenshots of covers sourced from <\/span>Goodreads<\/span><\/a><\/h6>\n

Whether you\u2019re using a photographic or abstract background, think about the <\/span>seven principles of design<\/span><\/a> as you dream up your book cover. Most importantly, think about balance, contrast, and proportion. Fill the space well and make sure your text is easy to read but doesn\u2019t overwhelm your background picture or shapes. Like we said, less is more. If using an image, limit yourself to one big photo or a tasteful collage. If using shapes, bigger is usually better, but if you want to use an intricate pattern like those of the gold-embossed books of old, just make sure your text is well-balanced and easy to read.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Text is Everything<\/b><\/h3>\n

You\u2019d be hard-pressed to find a book cover that does not contain text. After all, text is essential. It tells us what the book is called, who wrote it, and what kind of content it is.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While romantic scripts and historical-leaning letterpress fonts might make us feel a certain way, the \u201cfeel\u201d of a text is not the most important consideration for book covers. Legibility is. You\u2019ll find big modern fonts on updated versions of literary classics and even the most elaborate scripts are displayed in large letters for visibility\u2019s sake.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember, contrast is key. Since the background of book covers runs right to the edge, this means that you\u2019ll inevitably be putting your text on top of something else, whether a photo, a pattern, or a solid color. Choose a font color that stands out well against the background one. Opposite hues on the <\/span>color wheel<\/span><\/a> do this well, as do two colors that vary in intensity \u2014 meaning, one that\u2019s very saturated and another that is not. White and black are also solid choices; white looks good on complex, colorful backgrounds, and black complements neutrals and grayscale.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Screenshot of covers sourced from <\/span>Goodreads<\/span><\/a><\/h6>\n

Hit the Books<\/b><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s time to get designing. Head over to our <\/span>web app<\/span><\/a>, as it\u2019s the perfect place to make a format as specific as this one.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Once you have our web application open, set your canvas size. Generally speaking, <\/span>1,600 x 2,560 pixels is a good rule of thumb<\/span><\/a> for a book cover, and it\u2019s very easy to make a canvas exactly this size. Simply click on \u201cCustom Size\u201d on the new design screen and enter the pixel quantities. Then, select \u201cCreate design.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    2. Start your background. You have three options: a photo, a color fill, or shapes. Let\u2019s locate the tools that correspond to these three options. Above your canvas, you can find the toolbar with the option for a color, gradient, or texture fill. If you\u2019re thinking about going with a graphic pattern, we highly recommend checking out the texture fill options as there are some cool ready-made graphics there. In the lateral toolbar to the left of your canvas, you\u2019ll find both the photo and shape options.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    3. Click on the \u201cText\u201d icon and then on \u201cAdd a heading\u201d to incorporate the title into your design. Even though our heading font setting is big, you\u2019ll probably have to increase it even more to fill the space. Aim for the 100 pt. size range. Add subsequent texts using the same function or the subheading one for something smaller. Don\u2019t forget that you can always change your font style as well as the spacing between letters using the tools that appear when you click on your text box.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    4. When you\u2019re finished, download your creation by clicking \u201cExport\u201d in the upper right-hand corner. Now, you\u2019re the expert, so transfer these skills to other designs, too, like the cover image for your <\/span>podcast<\/span><\/a> or \u2018zine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Create at the Speed of Culture<\/a><\/i><\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Picsart is a full ecosystem of free-to-use content, powerful tools, and creator inspiration. With a billion downloads and more than 150 million monthly active creators, Picsart isn\u2019t just the world\u2019s largest creative platform; we\u2019re also the fastest growing.\u00a0Picsart has collaborated with major artists and brands like BLACKPINK, the Jonas Brothers, Lizzo, Sanrio: Hello Kitty, I am a Voter,\u00a0Bebe Rexha,\u00a0Maroon 5, One Direction, Warner Bros. Entertainment, iHeartMedia, Cond\u00e9 Nast, and more.\u00a0<\/i>Download the app or start editing on web<\/a><\/i>\u00a0today to enhance your photos and videos with thousands of quick and easy editing tools, trendy filters, fun stickers, and brilliant backgrounds. Unleash your creativity and\u00a0<\/i>upgrade to Gold<\/a><\/i>\u00a0for premium perks!<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    For this week’s graphic design contest<\/a>, we are challenging you to design a book cover. Combine text, PicsArt’s clipart, and a photo to create a book cover for an unwritten novel from your imagination.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":51253,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","faq_show":false,"faq_enable_schema":false,"how_to_show":false,"how_to_show_on_single":false,"how_to_enable_schema":false,"how_to_is_upload":false,"faq_title":"","how_to_title":"","how_to_layout":"","how_to_cta_text":"","how_to_cta_url":"","how_to_image_alt":"","how_to_display_image":0,"faq_items":[],"how_to_steps":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","entry"],"acf":{"faq_show":false,"faq_title":"Frequently asked questions","faq_enable_schema":true,"faq_items":null,"how_to_show":false,"how_to_show_on_single":false,"how_to_title":"","how_to_layout":"default","how_to_steps":null,"how_to_enable_schema":true,"how_to_is_upload":true,"how_to_cta_text":"","how_to_cta_url":"https:\/\/picsart.com\/create\/editor","how_to_display_image":null,"how_to_image_alt":"","footer_banner_name":"Start your design in Picsart","footer_banner_link_":"\/","footer_banner_button_text_":"Get Started"},"yoast_head":"\nHere\u2019s How You Can Use Simple Graphic Design to Make Your Own Book Cover - Picsart Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/picsart.com\/blog\/create-book-cover-for-graphic-design-contest\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Here\u2019s How You Can Use Simple Graphic Design to Make Your Own Book Cover - Picsart Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For this week’s graphic design contest, we are challenging you to design a book cover. 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