‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.’ A saying that everyone has heard since they were a kid. But in publishing, we do have to judge a book by its cover design to ensure that they fall under the right genre and don’t give a jumpscare to anyone who does not want to read a particular genre. But there’s more to that. This is The Bombay Circle Press’ guide to why books have a certain type of cover.
- Denote the Genre of the Book
The biggest reason why certain genres have similar colour palettes, motifs, fonts, and elements is to denote the genre of the book. For example, crime and mystery thrillers often have dark colours with bloody and mysterious looking elements. While romance goes for pastel colours and characters that are smiling along with cute fonts.
The idea is to denote what kind of book it is and what genre can people expect. Hardly will you find a mystery book with a pastel pink cover where the serial killer is smiling while holding a machete. There might be an audience for it, no doubt, but a detective murder mystery will rarely take that route.
- Catch the Reader’s Eye
It goes without saying that we do judge a book by its cover, no matter how much we try not to. Of course, there are books whose premise is a million times more intriguing than the book cover. But at the end of the day, books do have to stand out and catch the reader’s eye in a sea of books piled together in a bookstore.
While the title does play an important role in catching the reader’s eye, the aesthetics of a book cover design tell the reader what to expect. Using elements from the story in an unexpected way or having typography intertwined in the book cover does speak volumes and become a deciding factor about whether or not people will pick up the book at bookstores when placed with books of similar genre.
- Set the Tone
The right cover design sets the tone of the fiction novel and the tone of what the reader can expect from the book, irrespective of the genre. For example, if there is a contemporary romance, the book cover won’t have the appeal of a traditional rom-com. Rather the approach would be a little more serious to denote that it is not just a romance.
Take a look at the cover of Emma Cho’s When the Peperos Align and David Nicholls One Day. Although both are a romance, there is a stark contrast in their book covers treatment. Cho’s book is light romance with low-stakes conflict that focuses more on the adorable protagonists and their relationship. While One Day deals with a more nuanced take on romance, the protagonists’ relationships and their emotions. Despite having people in both covers, one uses book elements and light colours for a more fun approach to the subject while other uses silhouettes to relay a more literary and nuanced storytelling experience.
- Establishes Credibility
A book cover design is essential in establishing the credibility of the book. Not only are the aesthetics and the overall look of the book important, but a book cover design that matches the genre gives some faith to the customer that the publishing house knows what they are doing. In simpler terms it’s as if the author and the publisher are saying, ‘Yes, we read the book and we know what the genre is.’ Moreover, it just reassures the reader that they are getting what they signed up for.
A lot of the times book cover designs are dictated by the trends at the moment. But that doesn’t mean every single author follows them. The beauty of a book cover design lies in its ability to not just attract a reader but intrigue them with creative design elements and typography give hints about what they can expect.