You Should Judge a Book by Its Cover
Picture this: you walk into a bookstore, and you see thousands of books in front of you and when one catches your eye, what is the first thing you do? Judge it by its cover. Even though we say to “never judge a book by its cover,” we can’t help it sometimes, and the design of the cover will determine if we read the back of it to learn more about it, or we put it back on the shelf and look for a different book.
A book cover is so important because it is the viewer’s first interaction with the book that could have so many different outcomes solely based on the cover. I am subscribed to many channels on YouTube, one being Jack Edwards, that specialize in book recommendations and reviews, and they have created videos just based on their favorite book covers, which emphasizes the importance of effective and eye-catching book cover designs.
First Impressions
Book covers serve as the first impression of a book to potential readers but also give a glimpse into what the book is about.
“A successful book cover needs to make a reader ‘feel’ the manuscript rather than ‘tell’ about it”
Anne Carton explains this best by saying “A successful book cover needs to make a reader ‘feel’ the manuscript rather than ‘tell’ about it,” meaning that the cover should not tell the reader the whole story of the book, but instead help convey a certain message to the potential reader about what the book is about. This is important because designers do not want to give people the wrong idea about a book, but also they do not want to give the whole story away.
A successful book cover should include small details about the book that the reader may understand better as they are reading it, but also draw interest in potential readers and not leave them out if the details are too specific to the story. Additionally, the cover design should grasp the major themes of the book or the genre the book falls under to give the viewer a better understanding of whether or not they are interested in reading the book in the first place.
What Designers Did Wrong
Sometimes the cover of a book completely misses the mark when conveying the story to potential readers which then can give the wrong idea about what the book is actually about.
An example of this can be seen in Bonnie Garmus’s book, Lessons in Chemistry, where there are multiple versions of the book cover in different countries, however, the book cover design for the US version does not convey what the story is about. In fact, Garmus has even admitted to not liking the American book cover and the “covers in other markets (primary colors in Britain, sober in Germany, surreal in Estonia) paint a different picture” (Sadie Stein).
The American cover of the book is bright pink with a cartoon version of the main character on it, and many people mistake it for a romance book, when in fact it is considered historical fiction, and it does not represent the more serious themes discussed throughout the story. This miscommunication in design can really mislead readers or potential readers which just emphasizes how important book cover design is and how people continue to judge a book by its cover.
Hi! I’m Amanda Riha!
I’m a graphic designer with a background in advertising and psychology and have a passion for being creative and building connections with those around me.
When I’m not designing, you can find me reading as many books as I possibly can or spending time outside!