October 23, 2019 by admin
Book Cover Design “Publication Design: Covers and Interiors”
ANALYZING BOOK JACKETS AND MAGAZINE COVERS
To Start: Find five examples of book jackets that express the spirit or personality of their Contents. Justify your choices.
BOOK COVER DESIGN SERIES
Step 1
- Select three books written by a different author. Read their works. Research them. Make your preliminary selections on the themes of the book. How do they fit together? How do they differ? Be very specific! Example: Your theme shouldn’t be “anger” it should be a specific type of anger.
- Write a single space half-page single-spaced paper describing your plans for this assignment. Write an objective statement. Define the purpose and function of the problem, the audience for the books, and the information to be communicated.
- Place all your work in a Word Document. Please upload to D2L by the deadline
Step 2
- Design three book covers—one for each writer in your series. Design front covers and spines.
- The covers must be similar in style and yet express the individuality of each writer.
- The logo must appear on each cover in the same position.
- Produce at least two sketches for each jacket that could be expanded into a series format.
- Your solution may be purely typographic, visually driven or type-driven.
- Think about the various ways the series could be tied together:
- Through the use of similar visuals: illustrations, graphics, photographs, typography
Step 3
Step 4
- a. Refine the roughs and create one comp per book.
b. The covers should be 8″ × 5″, held vertically.
c. You may use black and white or full color.
You can download a template here.
This flexible template takes out the technical trickery of creating your own cover design, with a spine that can be resized easily, easy-to-edit layers, and a simple yet stylish design. Already set up for full CMYK printing and including a bleed, you can focus your energies on simply creating a cool design for your cover.
Castillo’s novel sheds light on the violent political history of the Philippines during the 1980s and 1990s, as well as the insular immigrant communities that emerge in suburban United States. With a keen understanding of the unspoken intimacies and pain often buried beneath the demands of everyday life and family rituals, Castillo delivers a powerful and increasingly relevant narrative. The story explores the promise of the American dream and the enduring influence of the past.
Castillo, E. (2018). America is not the heart: A novel.
Newlyweds Celestial and Roy represent both the American Dream and the evolving identity of the New South. Roy is a young executive, while Celestial is an artist poised for a promising career. However, as they begin to settle into their new life, unforeseen circumstances tear them apart. Roy is arrested and given a 12-year sentence for a crime Celestial believes he didn’t commit.
Despite her strong sense of independence, Celestial feels lost and adrift, seeking solace in Andre, her childhood friend and Roy’s best man. As the years pass during Roy’s imprisonment, she struggles to maintain the love that once defined her. After five long years, Roy’s conviction is unexpectedly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta determined to rebuild their life together.
Jones, T. (2018). An American Marriage (Oprah’s Book Club): A Novel. Algonquin Books.
“The Boat People” is narrated through the perspectives of Mahindan, his reluctant lawyer Priya, and Grace, a third-generation Japanese-Canadian adjudicator responsible for determining Mahindan’s fate. This gripping novel provides a compassionate viewpoint on the ongoing refugee crisis. Drawing inspiration from real-life events, the story features vivid imagery that contrasts the haunting beauty of northern Sri Lanka with the tense refugee hearings in Vancouver, where critical life-and-death decisions are made. Sharon Bala’s remarkable debut is both memorable and timely, addressing important contemporary issues.
Bala, S. (2018). The boat people. McClelland & Stewart.
Christopher John Francis Boone is knowledgeable about all the countries and their capitals, and he can list every prime number up to 7,057. He has a strong connection to animals but struggles to grasp human emotions. He dislikes being touched and has a particular aversion to the color yellow.
This unlikely tale of Christopher’s journey to uncover the mysterious death of a local dog stands out as one of the most engaging, distinctive, and critically acclaimed novels in recent times.
Haddon, M. (2007). The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Canada: Doubleday Canada.
Download this book cover template for free (your download will include an INDD file for InDesign CS6 and an IDML version for opening in InDesign CS4, CS5 or CC):
(Want to design the inside pages too? Click here to download the interior template)
Student Examples:
