AMYGDALA DESIGN BLOG POST:
About Amygdala Design:
Amygdala
Design was officially started in October 2012 by graphic designer Ida Jansson.
The company specializes in book covers and book trailers for
independent/self-publishing authors. Eye-catching covers at affordable prices
are offered to authors in all genres, both fiction and non-fiction.
More info: amygdaladesign.net
Contact: amygdaladesign@myopera.com
What makes a book cover eye-catching?
I think all indie-authors can agree to the fact that when it comes to
self-publishing, the competition is extremely though. Today, everyone
with a computer and access to the internet can publish their own books through
services such as CreateSpace. In a matter of seconds, the book can be
downloaded to an e-reader such as Kindle all over the world. With all these books
floating around the web, how does the reader choose what to read? How do you as
an author capture the attention of possible customers in just one glance? Why
would they choose your book out of millions of other books in the same genre?
The answer is obvious – you need an eye-catching book cover. You need a cover that pops out, that screams
“read me!”. If you invest in a professional cover, you show your reader that
you care about your book, that you are proud of it and that you are willing to
invest in it. The reader should be able to tell by your cover that you believe
in your book, because if you do then the reader will as well. This is
especially true for new writers that have yet to establish their name as an
author. Your book can be amazing and well written, but that does not matter if
no one reads it. So if you want to convince people that your book is worth
their precious time, you should show them that by investing in a quality cover.
So what makes a book cover eye-catching? I design my customers’ book
covers from the following three principles: SIMPLE, COLOUR and COMPOSITION.
Often, the author comes to me with a specific idea about how they want their
covers to look like. They want endless elements and details on their cover, and
it is very important to them that all details fit their story. I can understand
why they have this request of course; they care greatly about their story! But,
remember this; the potential reader browsing Amazon or Goodreads does not care
if your hero has red shoes instead of blue or if your cover has 10 different
elements from your book. Why? Because they haven`t read the book yet! If you
try to fit a whole scene from your book down to the smallest detail on your
cover, all the reader will see on your thumbnail is a smear of elements and
different colors.
As a rule, the cover should not consist of more than 2 main colors and
2-3 main elements. 1 main object/character and a background with a few
complementing but subtle elements is ideal. If an object doesn`t work on the
cover – throw it out! Don`t compromise the quality of your cover just to add an
element that is important to you. The potential reader won`t care about that
one element, they notice the cover as a whole. And that is how you should see
your cover as well – as one piece, not a group of different pieces.
When it comes to composition – trust your graphic designer (and make
sure to hire one with proper education). There are rules to follow, and you
need to know the rules up and down before breaking them. Also, you need to know
that your designer has the technical skills to make your cover work. A
professional cover has smooth blending and perfect cut image components.
In short: Hire a skilled cover artist, so that you can focus all your
attention on your writing!
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