Tutorial: Design Your Cover

Rachel Udin

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Just a general thought... though authors won't generally think of this, but it's the same as it is for books:

Commercial art COMMUNICATES something. Even with all these tips and guidelines to creating art, what is the central rule to all of it, is that if the design fails to communicate, you've failed.

More than the rules about color, negative space, positive space, foreground, background, middle ground, etc. Your first job is the communicate to your audience what your book is about on your cover. if a piece of art can say 1,000 words, what do you want those 1,000 words to say to the reader about to buy your book?

I say this, because I, too, didn't get it. But after I took design classes, and took art classes, my drawings started to tell their own internal stories of sorts. A cover can tell the story for you, without giving away the ending, without using physical words. And that's kinda the art of graphic design.

When do you break a guideline? When it serves to communicate your message better.

For a cover, I would look for the following:
1. What is the genre? Can I tell from the cover?
2. What is the tone of the story?
3. Are there themes or elements from the story that give a nuance to the *other* things without re-enforcing them?

I always start here though some of my clients don't like it. (Since I do websites, they are more going on about the bells and whistles, and I'm trying to get them to concretely tell me what they want the website to function to *do* for the *client* first.)

Genre: Mystery
Setting: Thailand.
Themes: hardboiled, noir, gritty. Riverboats.
Tone: Sarcastic. Maybe with a little Irony.

The obvious on the nose choice would be to go for the open air market in Thailand. Go for some slangy Thai-ish font, slap it on the background like the MV Dirty put in a dead body and call it a day.

But like with stories, you want it to tell a story. YOUR story. And don't give people easy.

If your blurb reads, "On the backstreets of Thailand, there is a new boss in town." Then maybe you've got the wrong image.

What are you trying to say with this cover besides murder in Thailand? What does your story eventually say to the reader?

Some of the best covers I've seen are where I read the story and the cover gradually makes more and more sense as I look at it over and over again. The cover didn't give away the ending at all, but little details come out that make me appreciate the art on the front more. It becomes less of a marketing tool, but kind of joins with the book as one entity and you don't know it, but when you do finish, that's what you find. Just like subtle is good in stories, so it is with covers.

I have to say, I'm a huge fan of Michael Whelan covers. Because I'd often glance at the cover during the course of the story and then little details he'd put in make sense suddenly. (He says he reads the books before making covers, which make his art richer as a marketing tool)

You, who know the book the best should know what it's trying to communicate in the art. Put that as your first directive, and no matter what rules you break, you will probably end up breaking them well if you break them for that reason.

Nanowrimo had a book cover contest. And one of the graphic artists chose a book about a kid with OCD. It broke every rule about typography very subtly, slamming me with errors, but it *worked* because it communicated to me the meaning of the book through those type of errors--the type of thing that would drive someone with OCD mad.

The design works as a WHOLE Type and image to communicate your book. Start there before messing with the image and image ideas.

Think of it that way.

That occurred to me today when I got pissed off at Barnes and Nobles... I thought their customer service kinda stunk today. And then I realized I was obsessing over it because it's user experience (My main obsession with design). And then I realized user experience extends to all kinds of design. User experience makes the design function. You can have the prettiest design in the world, but if it doesn't communicate, it's pretty dead. (Thank you Steve Jobs--though he wouldn't mince words and say something like, "It's a piece of S***"--I find his biography inspiring on design aspects for some reason...).

Usually for me, it's a no duh moment, but then I realized that not everyone here has that moment, though they may now automatically have it for stories (eventually)

^^; I hope this doesn't usurp anything though... not meant to.
 

Rachel Udin

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Help with color links:

http://colorschemedesigner.com/

Stuck and need to cheat it... use this link. (I also use kuler inside of Photoshop)

http://pronouncedyou.deviantart.com/gallery/11215209#/d1zx4ie
Basic color theory.

http://www.precisionintermedia.com/color.html
Basic Color psychology. (Western Hemisphere only)

Please note that actual color psychology is kind of an early science and they haven't gotten that deep into it yet.From my basic research, some thought about colors comes from the Victorian era thoughts about flowers and the meaning of flower colors. Also that thoughts about colors has changed over time (blue for boy and pink for girl were switched at one point)

...which is to say, don't base it 100% on color psychology to choose colors, use to augment choices.
 

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I have this book, which I love for lots of reasons, but one of the good things is that it shows you colour combinations in different proportions, so you can get a good idea of which colour to use as an accent and which to use as main backgrounds etc.
 

Rachel Udin

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Side note, since this is more design than pure typography.

Type is a design element.


As with most things, I learned this the hard way. I know the very temptation. You think, Ooo~ I'll make a pretty image *gets into image* then you think oh, but it needs a background *gets into background* then you think... OK... where do I put the type...... uhh... somewhere.... The character's foreshrotening and color doesn't match the background. The background perspective doesn't match the characters so they are sinking into the floor, the colors don't unify, and the type isn't readable because there was no room for it in the first place. It's a terrible mess, but you can't see it from staring at it so long.

I used to do that too. Obviously. And when I feel lazy I usually still do and then have to cover up my tracks which is a pain in the butt.

So the better approach to composition (beyond all the guidelines and "rules"):

Think Globally.

When you're drawing, the art teacher will explicitly tell you (besides your posture makes your drawing horrible... =P) to work "globally". This means to not just draw the hand, but to maybe draw the idea first, zero in on the hand, move to the face, move to the other hand and keep moving. 'cause if you keep to one area, then it won't fit in with the other areas. Details come later.

Thumbnail
Graphic design teachers will say, "thumbnail, thumbnail, thumbnail again." Some assignments insisted that you show the thumbnail ideas before you produce. And believe me, it saved my hide several times. *Professor Points* What is that [ugly] negative space? *sweatdrops* Uhhh... defining stuff... *professor looks at me because he knows I know better* me: Fail?--how about this one...

This helps you determine your negative space beforehand and what goes where. You get a unified picture.

Type is a design element. It needs its space, just like the picture does. Just like you plan your colors, you plan for your type as you design the picture.

I was slow, but I eventually got the idea and started to think if I wanted type first, then if I wanted type, where was I going to put it and then thought of the image as an unformed mass on my negative space, thumbnailed it and then drew the thing.

Think of the story when you compose the image/design
It's also probably my storytelling background, but I kinda talk to the art too as I draw the thumbnail and concept... especially to characters, which sometimes translates into a scene. Not quite Bob Ross though.

=P More like, ah, she's angry. Wow, she's really angry, but over what? Damn, did he just stick up his middle finger at her and roar her down? Ah, but the jacket it wrong. The jacket needs to be like this... this, this, move it... ah, hand on his hip. He's getting impatient... what does the other character say to that in the picture? Pointing her finger at him, eh?

He wouldn't stand like that if he's yelling at her, legs apart... make himself look more important. Must be one arrogant B. Much more like him.

*Imagining dialogue at this point probably because I forgot to eat and am hallucinating <--jk*

"You can stick it..."

"Oh, you are soooo mature. I'm sooo sure."

*adjust hat* Looks like he bought it from Stetson? *Researches Stetson.* Must have cost him a whole lot when he bought it if he smuggled it from Earth if it is a Stetson. No wonder he's possessive.

And they are standing in a forest... must be on assignment. Wow, he's really mad at her. Probably saying something like, "I am sick of you. *insert insult* You have no idea what I go through for you." but I know he doesn't mean it, mean it. *adjusts hat to reflect that*

By the end, I had a fairy pointing down a man 7-8 times her size, totally fearless, and it really did explain to me why she had absolutely no problem with slapping a flying tiger on its nose in the written story. I finally got that reason after I did that and I understand why she's so sassy.

I keep talking, asking questions to the picture and then I get a mini story out of the concept. And I don't always gets happy little trees. (I also talk to the actors I draw and say stuff like, "You have weird planes on your face. You must hate having your face shot from the other side..." Also ask about personality since I can always fit it into the expression. "What foods do you like? Favorite hobbies?")

Much easier when you plan the design as a whole. Though I concede since I draw/do other creative arts, it's cheating...
 
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writeontime

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I've been lurking around this forum on designing but I'm coming out of lurkdom as I want to say a massive thanks to this thread. It's really informative so thank you! :)

I've been re-visiting this thread ever since I stumbled across it and have bookmarked it.

I don't know how to use PhotoShop and frankly it terrifies me. But having said that, I'm going to start tinkering around with Paint.net especially if it's more user-friendly than GIMP.
 

Rachel Udin

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Photoshop TV (May have been renamed, but if you google it, you'll find the current name), which you can download for free from the iTunes store (at least the recent episodes) helped me tremendously with basics of design and how to get over the anxiety of Photoshop with concrete tutorial. After 1 month I'd leveled up from Photoshop hermit, where Photoshop was the light blinding my eyes, to a person who was making actions. I'm still below guru level since I don't program custom content and I'm afraid to break the thing... but you can get up to that level if you like and it'll help your gimp and other graphic design skills too. (They also have in their backlog how to use Painter as well and also working with illustrator.) I can beat Photoshop into submission now. (though I admit to binging... so it may take you three or four months... which isn't bad for free.)
 

writeontime

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Thanks, Rachel. Until just now, I didn't know of the existence of Photoshop TV but it sounds wonderful especially if it can get me over my fear of Photoshop and help me put together something decent without me wincing at my efforts.

I suspect I won't be able to get to the level you describe you were at in one month (luddite that I am), but if the tutorials can help me toward learning how to design graphics which somehow come near to what I envision, I'd be happy.

I'm going to hunt down the site now. Thanks again! :)

 

Rachel Udin

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I figured, why not have a check list of basics of design. Anyone want to add on?

The rule that supersedes all rules:
If it bends to the concept and you know what you are doing all following rules can be broken.

Which is the basic rule of pretty much all art that I know of. And these are in no particular order, despite being numbered. I'm using numbers 'cause of Neilsen's principles of website design... ^^;;

1. Do not split the canvas in half.
Why?: Because the eye doesn't know where to go. In the cases where a split in half works is where the character has two choices that are equal. So the rivals are on either side of the character.

2. The rule of thirds/Golden Mean

A more detailed explanation is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds (I don't want it to run too long.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio

Smack in the middle of the canvas isn't interesting. You can lead the eye with negative space, shape and color. (If you do the tl;dr version)

3. Size matters.

A large object on a blank page will attract more attention than a small object (unless there is color theory, but I'm looking at composition more) A small dark object in a large space will also attract attention.

Therefore, in order to *usually* rank your object's importance you do it by size. This means usually the title or the author name is a different size. Debut authors usually get a smaller size font than the title.

Make sure the positive space does not equal the same as another if it's not on *purpose*. (You can simplify it by thinking about the object filling a jar)

If you're good with color theory, you can work against this.

4. Negative space has a function.
And that's not to merely fill it.

Negative space defines the positive space and depending on your piece can be more important than your positive space (Such as in typography or the dot in a large field)

Contrast of objects will also define the positive and negative space.

Along that line, margins help to contain the elements on the page, no margins makes it seem formless. And margins define objects and groupings. You can see this with paragraphs and below.

**** *****

or with a telephone number 1-800-555-2718

the space created by the dash creates a grouping. Margins are a type of negative space that does that.

5. Tangencies are (usually) evil.
That's usually a small negative space that doesn't need to be there. If you're thinking of math, that's true. Exceptions are when one wants to lead the eye from one positive space to another. This is true of serifs and this is why small type is done in Serifs. (or the equivalent)

Small negative spaces often draw attention to themselves unnecessarily.

6. Watch for internal flow.


The eye should move within the canvas and *usually* not fall off. Just like you don't want people to stop reading a book, or walk out of a play, this is the artist's version of thinking about how to move the eye. There are several techniques for this, but usually watching out for lines leading off the page and sharp angles will help.

Where this would be an exception, would be if you're making the viewer struggle on purpose by leading them off. Still, the rule is no 45 degree angles because that is the most difficult angle for the eye to climb. You need to be really strong in design for that.

7. If it is on the canvas/working surface, it is a design element.
Dadaism is a good teaching tool for this one. Accidents happen, it becomes part of the design, it's not merely a secondary.

That means plan the whole design as one element. Thumbnails are king here. Make at least a thumbnail and a mock up before doing the final design. You are less likely to change a piece you've worked hours on.

I haven't found exceptions to this, even when it's the last element, it is still a design element.

8. The human brain is feeble and can only usually hold 3-4 objects at a time.
(Might be useful for selecting titles and breaking them up)

That's why telephone numbers are broken up.

That's why titles usually are grouped into parts.

That is a psychological rule, however, it does help with design.

9. Color theory

Well covered, so I'll glance over it, but generally it can work with or against the composition. But to work against the composition you need to be really good at it. This is because the human brain sees shape before it sees color. Another functional design rule, but, again, useful for marketing on things such as logos and color. You can test that here.

Say the COLOR of the word:

Green
purple
blue
pink
orange

Yeah, gets harder. Words are shapes, so they supersede color information. (There is a long, long biological explanation for it including evolution)

10. In the US, British and countries where the *reading* is left to right, the eye unless told not to do so tends to gravitate towards the upper left hand corner. (Especially in website design)

(Chinese, Japanese, etc are exceptions... design is a cultural thing too.)

You can take advantage of that. If you see the standard website that has the top and a side bar, notice in the US that the side bar is usually on the left and the banner is at the top. That's using that principle.

Covers as a marketing tool can take advantage of some of those rules of culture and psychology, including colors, shape, etc. Most designers do it subconsciously anyway.

Anyway, basics if you need a check list. But mostly be purposeful in what you do in design. Think it through. Ask yourself "Why".

Oh and one rule from my professor, "Never apologize for your work. Tell them you did the best you could for the time you were given." I thought it is sage advice.

Another thing he taught me was, "Your clients will always pick the one you hate most." Haha. He's right.
 
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Alessandra Kelley

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Thanks, Rachel, for a thought-provoking list of basic design principles. There's a lot to think about, and of course a lot of approaches are possible.

Just off the top of my head, though, I wonder a bit about this one:

2. The rule of thirds/Golden Mean

A more detailed explanation is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds (I don't want it to run too long.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio

Smack in the middle of the canvas isn't interesting. You can lead the eye with negative space, shape and color. (If you do the tl;dr version)

The rule of thirds is founded in English painting theory of circa. 1790-1840. It is a useful rule of thumb for quickly producing compositions that are not too awkward looking, but I wonder if it is versatile enough to be a prescription.

The Golden Mean is more problematic. It has been the darling of numerologists and theoreticians for centuries, but apart from some fairly brutal modern art there is little or no evidence that it has actually been used to generate work by practicing artists until quite recently. It is an eye-pleasing ratio, but so are many others. I would hesitate before recommending it as a guiding principle.

I'd like to quote a post (slightly edited) I made on the Golden Mean in a different context.

As a practicing visual artist, I have a deep suspicion of formulas presented as How Things Are Done, because they too often get turned around to How You Must Do Them.

This formula does sound like the Golden Mean idea. That's a kind of ratio using the Fibonacci sequence, where each iteration gets closer to the "perfect" rectangle. The Fibonacci sequence is gotten by adding a number to the number before it, starting with an invisible 0 and 1, so: (0), 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 35, etc. And the rectangles have ratios of 1:2 (not so perfect), 2:3 (better), 3:5 (better yet), 5:8 and so on.

...

Like just about every literary or artistical analysis, the Golden Mean appears to have some possible merit if you throw it over something and look hard for patterns.

But I am unconvinced.

I have seen golden rectangles and spirals superimposed over carefully selected photographs of Greek temples, and I cannot see that they actually coincide with important parts of the buildings, as is claimed.

This system is supposed to be exact, so fudging and skewing to try to force photos of buildings and paintings to fit it cannot be permitted.

Furthermore, the analyses often disagree with each other, which uneasily suggests a pseudoscience rather than a mathematical reality underlying our aesthetic experience of art.

For example, Leonardo's "Last Supper" is often cited as a paragon of the Golden Mean. Perhaps it is (although he never in any of his copious writings suggested an interest in it -- his famous Man is based on the system of Vitruvius, not the Golden Mean), but nobody seems able to agree on how and where the Golden Mean applies:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O0BQ4RTLVlw/Ty7KqaZiTKI/AAAAAAAAANs/ZwEdJQjIYhM/s1600/leonardo-supper.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2478/3569587541_0c18d0ca61.jpg
http://www.mathematicianspictures.com/images_275/275_GADV_P_LASTSUP_1015_300.jpg
http://acunix.wheatonma.edu/jsklens...lden ratio/leonardo-last_supper-mylines10.jpg

If one were of a cynical turn of mind, one might think these were little more than random rectangles people tried to line up with whatever they thought was important in the image rather than an obvious, clear mathematical reality.

...

The major use of the Golden Mean to create artwork has been in twentieth-century modernists such as Le Corbusier -- I will leave it to you to decide whether he succeeded in producing beauty.

I think LillyPu spotted it: there are important things everywhere in writing, and any formula thrown over a piece of writing is liable to hit close to something important.

This idea smacks of literary criticism, not the practical realities of making art.

On the matter of the principle of art or typography in the middle of a design being uninteresting, it is worth noting that there are striking book covers that do just that:

http://bookcoverarchive.com/book/the_sheriff_of_yrnameer
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0375856447/?tag=absowrit-20

Knowing the basics is good, but knowing why they are considered such, and how and why they are worth following, and how and why to play with them is also useful.
 

Rachel Udin

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http://bookcoverarchive.com/book/the_sheriff_of_yrnameer

That's not dead center... just pointing it out. It may be centered horizontally, but it isn't vertically.


http://www.amazon.com/dp/0375856447/?tag=absowrit-20

Again, not dead center. One single object may be dead center, but as a compositional whole, it is not dead center. Also the lack of symmetry is partially why it works.

Usually doing dead center every single time on the x and y axis can be boring. It's a default because it's easy... but sometimes for the subject matter it doesn't work. And sometimes doing dead center leads to tangencies that would have been better thinking about asymmetry. Usually people do it because they don't have faith in negative space or think it *has* to be that way, rather than making a conscious decision to make it that way because they know nothing else will work.

Rule of Thirds and Golden Mean are popular in photography, particularly in movies. It's a tool, but not an end all know all, which is why the super rule applies. Everything bends to concept. Just like in writing, everything bends to story.

I'd say it's worth giving other types of composition a try before defaulting to dead center.

The dot and the line old animation did not always use the rule of thirds. I think that works because it is the strongness of recognizable simple shapes that isn't asking for lots of interest, and going for a more minimalist design that it often works in the cartoon. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmSbdvzbOzY

BTW, I still love the cartoon. It's a classic. And it's a good lesson in design.

Knowing the basics is good, but knowing why they are considered such, and how and why they are worth following, and how and why to play with them is also useful.
Yes, which is why I listed exceptions underneath each other the given rules as well. I wasn't sure if going over art theory would be on topic since this thread is more for rookies as I understand it than it is for the graphic designer getting a degree.

I've been trying to find a website that goes over basic composition too. Such as the triangle composition, etc, but that's a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. The website I'd found before went poof. Other shapes are useful, such as circles as well.

I also got tips such as circles/curves are often seen as softer and are usually used in places that are supposed to feel warm. And squares and sharp angles are usually used on things that are "evil". I wasn't quite sure how to apply/discuss that though. I got it from the guy that did the art direction/concept drawing for Pan's Labyrinth who came into my class...
 
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writeontime

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Thanks for putting this together, Rachel.

As a result of reading all the advice, tips and hints in this thread, I've been paying close attention to book covers on my shelves, bookshops and my local library. I've been asking myself: why does this work? Why do I like this particular cover? What is the font they used on this cover? Why do I love these colours? How have the elements been arranged on this cover?

I'm hoping to take all I've observed from these book covers and all the guidelines here on this thread and apply it to my graphic attempts. :)
 

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Hey there guys.

So this is a fantastic thread. I've been using GIMP for years and it is what I intend to use to help me edit my own book cover, but I wasn't sure about a lot of the legalities until now when you bring them up.

For instance, I didn't know where I could get legit images from (great list), nor was I aware that I could then alter them to my heart's content.

If it's a free image from one of those sites do you still need to credit it somewhere? If so, where? I want to avoid any potential issues.

But my real question is this: Is there a list somewhere of artists willing to design custom art & approximate prices? I don't want to spend a lot on a design, given that I haven't got much money and haven't sold anything yet, but I don't mind dropping a little cash. I'd just like to know where to find people that do it regularly (I know DeviantArt, but that requires sorting through profiles to see who does commissions, who does book art, etc.) and approximate prices so I don't waste my time messaging someone who charges an amount I can't afford yet. I know there's also issues about getting the copyright released to you if you're going to use it as a book cover to avoid issues later about who owns the artwork, etc.

Thanks -- great thread! *goes back to playing with GIMP*
 

Rachel Udin

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Hey there guys.

So this is a fantastic thread. I've been using GIMP for years and it is what I intend to use to help me edit my own book cover, but I wasn't sure about a lot of the legalities until now when you bring them up.

For instance, I didn't know where I could get legit images from (great list), nor was I aware that I could then alter them to my heart's content.

If it's a free image from one of those sites do you still need to credit it somewhere? If so, where? I want to avoid any potential issues.
Attribution is part of copyright. See if the license requires attribution. If so, then it would go with your copyright information. If you see the copyright page of most books, it'll attribute the cover artist, etc. So you would do it there.

But my real question is this: Is there a list somewhere of artists willing to design custom art & approximate prices? I don't want to spend a lot on a design, given that I haven't got much money and haven't sold anything yet, but I don't mind dropping a little cash. I'd just like to know where to find people that do it regularly (I know DeviantArt, but that requires sorting through profiles to see who does commissions, who does book art, etc.) and approximate prices so I don't waste my time messaging someone who charges an amount I can't afford yet. I know there's also issues about getting the copyright released to you if you're going to use it as a book cover to avoid issues later about who owns the artwork, etc.

There is concept art as well, but they are pro level. There is also a listing in this forum too.

You want the LICENSE to use it for a TIME PERIOD. Not the copyright. Copyright will cost you quite a bit of money.

***

Anyway, I had a thought... artists often when they are being trained are told, "You better thumbnail." and are told to thumbnail for pages until they get used to it. Think up different concepts and perspectives of the same thing.

After thumbnail, you get concept sketches and I like to do a study sketch too. (And then sometimes color comps).

But I rarely see anyone pull any of those things here. We get the full investment of color and typography (Where the typography *sometimes* is an afterthought. I'll chant it, "Typography is part of design." Because I learned it the hard way). But since it takes a few hours to pull that off, people are often more reluctant to change it.

In short: Thumbnail and/or concept sketch. It'll make your headaches less because basic problems like type and composition can be solved by this basic measure.
 

kevinwaynewilliams

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For all the discussion of fonts on this thread, I'll point out that when I asked about them, I was met with a response only slightly louder than crickets.
 

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For all the discussion of fonts on this thread, I'll point out that when I asked about them, I was met with a response only slightly louder than crickets.

The person who started this thread was no longer with us by that time.

Font afficionadoes are welcome to discuss their interests here.
 

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Just found this thread - great information, Gale! For those that drool over Photoshop, if you are a student (or have one), sometimes you can get a cheaper version of Photoshop through the college.

I've been working with Photoshop since about 1994 I think. I paint in PS as well as do post-work on photos. I'm happy to answer questions, etc. I designed my own covers in PS, as well.

http://www.greendragonartist.com/Galleries/gallery_digital.htm for examples of my digital painting.

http://www.greendragonartist.com/Galleries/gallery_photo.htm for my photos :)
 

kevinwaynewilliams

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I don't know that anyone is using it for book design, per se, but when it comes to actually making the cover image, yes, people use image manipulation software for that, and then import the image into the book design tool of their choice.
 

Gale Haut

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I've not read through all the replies on this thread - who really has time for that? - but one thing is standing out in these tutorials and general design threads: are people really using Photoshop and Illustrator for book design? I can understand that some people might consider a book cover little more than an image, but even so, Photoshop and Illustrator are not the most suitable tools for designing covers and definitely not the actual books. If you're going to be putting together a book yourself, you'd be much better off, if you're considering an Adobe product, with InDesign or Quark, dedicated book design software. If my old design tutor found out people were using Illustrator he'd go spare.

The design of a book cover and the design of a book are two different things. The software cited does not give an appropriate range of tools for building your cover image. It would be fine if you are doing graphic design with an existing image, or as second tier software in the process. There's no reason to intimidate nonprofessional designers from attempting the process since this thread was not written as a walkthrough for people who are already professionals. InDesign is for editorial layout for example, and while it has a conversion option for eBooks, I wouldn't trust it if my job or my own publication depended on it.

If people would like a tutorial on ebook design, I'm not sure that would be appropriate for the design forum and it may already exist in the tech forum. Do you know anything about this Alessandra?

*ETA
 
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