Chapter 9 Book Jackets and Magazine Covers Objectives

Chapter 9 Book Jackets and Magazine Covers

Objectives (1 of 2) • Understand the purpose of book jacket and magazine cover design. • Realize cover design is both promotional and editorial design. • Be aware of how a cover is seen in context. • Appreciate the relationship a reader has with a cover. • Consider how the combination of type and visuals communicates to the viewer.

Objectives (2 of 2) • Realize a cover designer’s basic options of driving the design solution. • Consider front, back, and spine of a book cover. • Realize the need for consistency and unity in a cover series. • Understand the function of a template when designing a series. • Understand the use of a slipcase.

Purpose • At once, a cover must grab a reader’s attention and, in visual shorthand, communicate the book’s substance or “feel. ” • Book jackets and covers are both promotion and editorial design. • A cover promotes a book or magazine as well as communicating the publication’s content.

Reader’s Experience • The cover is the reader’s first experience with a book; once the reader starts reading, a new relationship develops.

Design Options • When designing, the cover designer has a good number of options. – All type – Type + image – Image-driven – Text-driven

Design Options: All Type Book cover Designer: John Gall

Design Options: Type + Image • Make the visual and type work synergistically to maximize communication and effect nuance. Book cover Designer: Adam C. Rogers

Design Options: Image-Driven • When a publication’s cover is image-driven, that means that the image is the predominant visual element on the cover – the one doing the most work to attract the viewer. Book cover Designers: Michael Ian Kaye and Amy Goldfarb

Design Options: Text-Driven • When the title of the book (title-driven) or the author’s name (name-driven) is the predominant visual element, the viewer is expected to be attracted to the title’s meaning or the author’s reputation. Book cover Designer: John Gall

Consider All • The entire cover – including the spine which is a key player in a bookstore environment -- must be considered. Book cover Designer: Steven Brower

Series • When designing for a series, establish a “look” for the series, so people recognize the books as belonging together. • For a series, many designers create a template where the author’s name, book title, and visuals are placed in the same position on each jacket or cover, or with slight variations in position. Book cover Designer: Steven Brower

Summary (1 of 3) • A book jacket must grab a reader’s attention and, in visual shorthand, communicate the book’s substance or “feel. ” • The design of a cover influences the viewer’s decision to purchase a book or magazine. • Book jackets and covers are both promotion and editorial design. • The cover is the reader’s first experience with a book. – Once the reader starts reading, a new relationship develops.

Summary (2 of 3) • The combination of type and visuals conveys a message and the spirit of the book or magazine. • When designing, the cover designer has a good number of options: all type, type + image, image-driven, and text-driven. • The entire cover – including the spine, which is a key player in a bookstore environment -- must be considered.

Summary (3 of 3) • When designing for a series, you must establish a “look” for the series, so people recognize the books as belonging together. • For a series, many designers create a template where the author’s name, book title, and visuals are usually placed in the same position on each jacket or cover, or with slight variations in position.