Redesigning covers (potential brief opportunity choose a set of books to redesign- similar to penguin award brief, but I could set my own and focus on creating them in my own style as a restriction) is open to anyone, for their own pleasure anyway. One great example of this is MS Corley’s unofficial Harry Potter book cover redesigns, done in classic 1960s Penguin book style complete with a visual treatment to make them feel decades old. The 1960s was a key era in book cover design: (possible design idea for book, each section is separated by a book cover inspired by 1960's book cover) the development of phototypesetting and advances in offset-litho print meant new techniques in graphics and type could be used. The result was a style that quickly defined Penguin paperbacks and that era. Corley’s designs ape this look in an impressively convincing way. More importantly, they’re clearly done by someone with a good understanding of the stories. Remember, know the content. These haven’t been used as real printed book covers, but you can see them online at bit.ly/alternative-hp-covers.
Placement of the book title (or whatever is the most important bit of info – perhaps the author’s name) (something I would like to explore, I quite like the idea of breaking the rules and not having the main focus being the title and author but perhaps an image or quote to draw someone in) should be at the top. No arguments unless you have a stunning reason to do otherwise. The top is the key area in terms of strength and the natural direction of the eye through the layout. Most importantly, it could be stacked partly behind other titles in a typical book shop shelf.
Book title type should be more like strong poster type than regular headlines, so set things tighter than normal and think of everything in terms of visual units. Look at the words and play with the scale of each one. If any words are particularly important, see what can be done to emphasise them, but watch out for mucking up or obscuring the meaning.
Do you want the design to evoke a particular era? Those unofficial Harry Potter covers are a perfect example. In fact, try covering up the giveaway author name, book title and HP emblem. The illustrations might be a giveaway if you know the stories (interesting that this is mentioned after commenting that the title and author is the most important, some book cover designs can focus on the imagery potentially because they are so popular and people will recognise them, perhaps these are the only kind of covers that can employ the idea of using popular quuotes), but they could pass for 50-year-old original covers.
http://www.macuser.co.uk/4247-know-your-audience-the-secrets-of-great-cover-designs
Quite an interesting article on how to evaluate a book cover. Really helpful information when I research different book cover designs. I can try and follow these guidelines when deciding which covers are successful and which are not. This is something I will also need to consider on my book cover design briefs.
Use these questions to help evaluate any potential cover designs for your book:
1. Does the color scheme match the tone and content of your book?
Color has a psychology and energy. For example, yellow is a happy, upbeat color. If you were writing a murder mystery or a book about grief, a bright yellow would be discordant.
You may be tempted to use your favorite colors on your cover or colors associated with your business branding. Before you do, ensure that the colors on your cover support the message of your book and present an exciting first impression. That's why very few books have beige covers.
2. Does your cover look similar to other books in your genre?
Book covers have a pattern to them, especially in design of the back cover. If your cover appears unusual or lacking, buyers will be reluctant to take a chance on your book.
3. Is the cover attractive in a small size?
Shrink your cover image to a 2x2 sized block, the size of many graphics displayed online. Make sure your cover is readable at that size.
4. Is the spine sexy?
If your book is sold in bookstores or is part of a library collection, the first thing people will see is the spine of your book. (importance of the spine could be a possible chapter) That small part of your cover needs to be eye-catching and easy to read. How many times have you walked by a book on a shelf because the spine did not catch your attention?
5. Do the images, fonts, and cover elements support the message of the book?
Potential readers rely on the book cover to tell them what the book is about and whether or not they will enjoy reading it. (interview people about judging a book by its cover, possible case study) A good cover designer will read the book or a synopsis of it to ensure that the cover tells the story of the book. Your author input is very important. Since you know your book best, you can provide the best information to your designer on the content of your book.
Preparing a book cover is very exciting! When you work with an experienced book cover designer, you can trust that your creative ideas are supported by a professional who knows how to combine your ideas with the science of cover design to create a cover that is as unique and wonderful as your writing.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Yes,-People-DO-Judge-a-Book-by-Its-Cover&id=5866838
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