We are often asked about the process for creating book cover designs. Here is the step-by-step process for a recent project, Florida’s Best Fruiting Plants: Native and Exotic Trees, Shrubs, and Vines by Charles R. Boning, 2nd edition.
Step 1
The cover design process begins by reading through a cover design brief to understand the scope of the project. The information contained in the document will include:
- Front cover copy including the title, subtitle, author name(s), endorsements, and any additional copy
- Publisher and Imprint
- The ISBN number
- The trim size
- Paperback or Dust jacket
- Colors
- Deadline
- Information about the art or concepts to begin image research (illustrations were provided for this cover)
- Special instructions (For this cover design project there were notes about the 1st edition of the book)
- The art director includes a document with information about the contents of the book.
Please see below to view the front cover design for the 1st edition of Florida’s Best Fruiting Plants: Native and Exotic Trees, Shrubs, and Vines by Charles R. Boning.
Step 2
We will begin the process of researching books on similar topics. We will review these covers for images, colors, and fonts.
Step 3
The next step is image research and selection. For this title, Florida’s Best Fruiting Plants, the illustrations were provided for the cover design. If the images were not provided, we would begin image research. Once we have a nice selection of images we will present them to the art director for approval. This a good way to communicate your design concept and receive feedback from the art director.
Step 4
At this point we like to experiment with a variety of color palettes. We will draw inspiration from the research, information from the design request, and the approved images.
Step 5
After the selection of the colors palettes, we will start thinking about typography. We will draw on the information from the above steps and experiment with different font families, styles, sizes, or possibly create our own.
Step 6
Now for the fun part, bringing all of the research and design elements together to create the book cover designs! Here is the approved cover for Florida’s Best Fruiting Plants: Native and Exotic Trees, Shrubs, and Vines by Charles R. Boning, 2nd edition.
The above steps are not always in this order, but it gives you insight into the process of creating a book cover design. We would love to hear about your process or answer any questions about our book cover designs.
Please leave a comment below or email me directly.
