Fiction Book Cover Design: The Definitive Guide

If you are reading this sentence, you probably have amazing writing, but no cover for your future book. Do you often scratch your head when coming up with book cover design ideas?

Then you’re in the right place.

In this guide, you will learn about fiction book cover design. I will share with you insights about typography, color palette, and imagery for each genre and show you the best examples.

Let’s start.

Fiction book cover design tips

Book cover design for fiction books – this is where you can implement your brightest ideas:

Experiment with images and fonts

Test various imagery and typography layouts

Convey the concept of your writing with pictures, illustrations, and signs

Represent the mood of your genre

Before getting into the details for each genre, we will start from the general characteristics of fiction book cover design.

Fiction book cover typography

There are no strict rules in typography for fiction. The major principle is to make it suitable for the overall design of your book cover. Here are some general tips you should know :

Try not to use more than two different typefaces

If you’re a novice in book cover design, it’s better to use one of the Sans Serif family fonts. You can also try to combine different fonts but ensure that your book cover will not look cluttered. Use this tool to check out if the fonts combine well together.

Avoid distracting your reader from the title

Choose a smaller size for the subtitle. It may be placed above or beneath the book’s name. Placing it between the lines is also an advantageous option, especially when it serves as a supplementary element of design.

Choose the size of the font for the author’s name

The typography for the author’s name should not prevail the title in size unless you’re a famous author.

Align the text against the same margin

Place the title, subtitle, and author’s name in the left, right, or central part of the page. Yet, the central layout is the most optimal solution.

Select the winning color scheme

Don’t get confused about the colors, which is better to use. Contrasting hues are profitable in fiction. You can use three different colors to make the title, subtitle, and author’s names look diverse. You may use tints and shades from the same palette if you believe it makes your book cover design better.

Experiment to trick your reader

Try to use an unexpected color palette for your book cover design. For example, yellow is associated with energy and optimism. However, using it for the title in a thriller or crime may bring about other feelings and emotions. It throws you off the scent.

Fiction book cover imagery

The design of the foreground and background for the fiction book cover may become a devastating process.

Don’t know what is better to choose and how to combine images and graphics?

Check out these ideas and tips on book cover design for different genres and get to know when to use them.

Background scene with a foreground character

Both of them should be simple and appeal to the target audience. This kind of book covers should give readers a hint at the plot.

Character in the top and a background scene in the bottom

Such a combination gives readers a steer on how characters and environments are connected.

Scene with a small character

The design of the book cover with a scene and a small character focuses on the significance of the moment rather than a character.

It reflects a symbolic representation of described events and their powerful influence on the heroes.

Focus on the character’s face

Big face in the book cover is a trend popular during the years.

A face-focal idea perfectly fits different genres because the details of one’s face may show additional emotions and enhance readers’ interest.

For example, the direct look is captivating, half of the face boosts mystery, and a person-centric design focuses on the character.

Minimalism

Minimalism is always a great choice despite the genre. It helps when you have no ideas or it’s hard to choose the concept. Minimalist book cover design features one graphic element, plain color, and ascetic typography.

Floral Motif

The floral motif is a leading trend in a book cover design in 2019. The multicolored palette of flowers makes the book cover vivid and sophisticated. And I can imagine your skeptical countenance if you write thrillers or crimes. Yes, this kind of design also fits these genres. Floral motifs intrigue and attract readers amazingly.

Focus on typography

Typography turns the reader’s attention to the idea of the book reflected in the title. Simplicity, readability, and clarity are key factors. You can also use some background images to support the genre and enhance the mood.

Now you know about the general characteristics of fiction book cover design.

It’s time to dive into the secrets of covers for fantasy, romance, crime/ mystery, and thriller. Ming these tips when you choose a book cover design company and feel free to provide designer with your ideas.

Fantasy book cover design tips

One visually captivating cover opens a fantasy world of the book. Yet, it keeps the plot intrigued and unrevealed.

Wander how to reach that?

Here are the tips on how to choose the fonts, images, colors, and layouts for your fantasy book cover.

Typography

Did you know that each font has its unique mood and evokes different emotions in readers?

For example, bold fonts refer to masculinity and power while rounded fonts convey femininity, softness, and comfort.

Typography helps you communicate with your reader, so don’t miss this chance.

Are you eager to know what fonts are the most popular in this genre?

These fonts for fantasy book cover design are faultless:

Serif,

Gothic,

Baskerville,

Apple Garamond,

Trajan Pro,

Cinzel

Optimus Princeps

Oranienbaum

The options presented above are basic for fantasy. They look organically and reflect the mood of the genre. Though, it doesn’t mean that you cannot use other fonts.

Font and color size

The choice of the font colors depends on the palette and hues used in the book cover design. They may be either of the same spectra or contrasting. White typography is a winning option that matches any color of the cover design.

Titles of fantasy books are brief because they clue readers to the main points. In a nutshell, it may be up to 5-6 words.

You can mix the upper and lower case letters or use capitalization for the entire title. Nick Kolenda in his useful guide on font psychology reveals the following insights:

Mixed case letters are the most readable;

Letters in bold show power;

Slanted letters convey a sense of movement;

Straight letters refer to stability.

Mix them to get the best title for your writing.

Colour palette

Fantasy book covers usually have vivid colors. Neutral black can be combined with bold red, green, purple and other hues.

Thus, a pure color with the variation of its shades and tints may serve a great option.

Consider the language of color to highlight the focal point:

Purple is good to demonstrate mystery,

Golden – royalty,

Red – anger or danger,

Green – renewal and balance.

Do you want to combine colors? Go ahead with our advice:

Try a gradient to make a book cover catching;

Use a three-dimensional color to get balance blending two colors;

Contrast black to one of the basic bold colors (red, blue, purple, orange, yellow, green);

Select pure colors with different intensity.

Imagery

How to come up with imagery for the fantasy book cover?

Here are some variants:

Focus on the main character’s superpower

Illustrate magic light or a fireball to appeal to unreal, magic effects;

Amplify supernatural to hint at some extraordinary events in the book.

Let’s look at tips useful for romance.

Romance book cover design tips

Typography

Romance is mainly about relationships between two people and their emotions. That’s why typography should send appropriate vibes. Fonts with flourishes and handwriting guarantee a romantic mood.

Fancy to know the most suitable fonts for romance book cover design? Check the following:

Bentham

Day Roman

Twilight

Lavenda

Water Brush

Butter Scotch

Vix Antique Script

The Dreamer

Amaze

LT Chickenhawk

Sexsmith

Wisdom Script

Alex Brush

Bromello

Keep in mind the time described in the novel. You can apply script-based and edgy fonts for modern and classical times, respectively.

Top 6 Script Fonts:

Top 6 Edgy Fonts:

Font color

You can select the font color depending on the emotions your book evokes. Gentleness and sensitivity, compassion and sorrow require a specific palette.

Have you heard about colors women love most? Depending on the content of your writing, you may use a feminine color palette. Of course, it doesn’t mean that these hues fit only women. They are appropriate for men, too. But, these colors have a specific meaning for females.

Here are the examples:

Women associate red with passion, and pink in their minds commonly stands for gentleness and sweetness.

They also favor turquoise and purple because these hues are sophisticated and energetic.

You can also use the following tints that convey light and peaceful meaning and are considered more feminine.

Source.

Font size

Titles of romance books vary in length. In general, they are about 2-5 words although some may consist of more words or comprise only one.

Upper case is common for romance book covers, but its combination with a lower case is suitable.

Selecting among these options, you may be sure that typography will stick to the principles of this genre.

Following font psychology tips, it’s also a good practice to use light and rounded fonts. They endue your title with beauty, comfort, softness, and femininity. These feelings are associated with romance.

Color palette

When it comes to romance, gold, pink, and lilac refer to the traditional combination. Light palettes are common for writings about gentle feelings and sensual relationships.

Deep, bright colors are preferably used in erotic romance novels.

Imagery

Imagery of the romance book cover should directly address the matter of the described relationships. There may be different ways to demonstrate it:

Naked bodies are the traditional option. There may be a solo partially naked male or female character in the cover.

Intertwined bodies remain their popularity, too.

Illustration of people in full length or some parts of the body reflects the romantic mood.

The background image should fit the setting in the novel. Help your audience guess the place where the plot develops. If writing tells a maritime love story, it is faulty to illustrate a castle or garden.

Some minimalistic covers with one object perfectly function in this genre. They intrigue and provoke without a direct appeal to naked bodies

It’s time to learn steers of gloomy and obscure book covers.

Crime and mystery book cover design tips

Crime and mystery book cover should be captivating but avoiding spoilers. Hint at surprise is a perfect trick to make your crime and mystery book cover fascinating. How can you do so?

Typography

Titles perform a major function in crime and mystery book cover design. They may be either the key or supportive factors that build tension and set the mood. You can reach it, using the following fonts.

Color palette

Dark and bold color scheme is popular for crime and mystery book covers. It suits design because it corresponds to the mystique mood of your writing. Thereby, black combined with green, red, blue, and even yellow to express certain emotions.

In particular, blue refers to mental engagement; red shows aggression, angsty, and anxiety; black signifies death; green is associated with the supernatural. White and grey are used rarely but they may evoke a sense of mystery.

Imagery

The crime and mystery book covers use minimum of images, unlike the other covers in other genres. They have to preserve the mystery.

The manifold use of illustrations and pictures may not support this purpose. Imagery for crime and mystery book covers consists of some interesting graphical elements combined with the title.

You may use images with symbolic or direct meaning. Blurred and faded background adjusts some extra mystery to the book cover. The characters may be vanishing or clear up to the overall design concept.

We can move forward and get a piece of advice if you need a thriller.

Thriller book cover design tips

Thriller book cover design shares a lot in common with crime and mystery.

The key purpose is to arouse curiosity and interest without revealing the outcomes of the final part of the book.

Typography

The titles of thriller book covers are printed predominantly in capitals. The fonts are bold and clear.

The typography should be clean and simple without extra flourishing elements, which appeal to sensitivity. You can apply texture and gradients to letters to enhance the tension or mystery and reinforce the mood.

Here are the popular fonts for thrillers:

Color palette

The color palette for thriller is dark and bold. Navy blue or black serves perfectly for the design of the background, prompting suspense, mystery, and authority.

The elements in the foreground may be depicted in red to boost tension and dominance.

Orange and yellow mean optimism, confidence, ambition, and creativity. Albeit, they may reflect aggression and energy in thrillers.

You can use light blue or pale green to increase the mystery and refer to the past.

Imagery

The book cover for thriller may use a perspective to reinforce the effect of the unknown.

The character moves onward or forwards the background setting to tell the clue moments of the plot. In such a way, a reader will be eager to know the resolution of the story.

Conclusion

Now you know the general features of the successful fiction book cover design.

Here are the main takeaways:

experiment and balance typography, imagery, and color scheme;

make them special for fantasy, romance, mystery, and thriller;

try out two fonts from different categories: one font is boring, and three look busy;

match the font and its color to amplify the message of your writing;

use images to hint at the plot.

We hope that this guide will help you to come up with various ideas. If you have any questions or need advice, we’re ready to help!