This illustration shows that a book is a collection of printed pages bound together and surrounded by a cover. Let’s take a closer look at the elements that go into a book cover.
Front Cover: The front cover is the outside page at the front of a book. This will contain the title of the book, the author, and usually an eye-catching design to help grab the attention of potential customers. It may also contain accolades, awards, and favorable review quotes to help impress the customers once they begin considering the book..
Spine: This is where the pages are bound together. The spine usually contains the book’s title, the name of the author, and the publisher’s identity. While there usually isn't enough space for elaborate designs you can still use fonts and contrast to create eye catching designs that will help draw in customers when the book is stored on a bookshelf.
Back Cover: The back cover is the outside page at the back of a book. It may include information about the author, additional reviews of the book, a short blurb of the book, the bar code, and price. This is usually where more information is included to help seal the deal for someone considering buying the book.
When designing a book cover, give priority to the front cover. The front cover will need represent the contents of the book in a style appealing to the book's target audience. In the next few pages we will go over some helpful tips on how to design an effective book cover.
