Should I add a cover?

"Just because you can doesn't mean you should."

This statement should be the first ting you think of when considering adding a front cover to your document. Generally speaking, if your document is less than 3 pages long, don't even think about adding a front cover to it. Sure, you may have a super sexy image already in mind, but it just doesn't add any value to your document if it's only a couple pages long.

Do consider that adding a front cover does have drawbacks. First, it's going to set an expectation that the content is top notch and polished. If it's not, your readers are going to be let down.

Second, typically a good looking cover page is going to have a nice looking image, and that image is going to have a large file size. This will slow down your readers loading your document. Mobile users could be particularly impacted by this (nearly 50% of GM Binder's views are from mobile).

Here's a quick guide to deciding if you should add a front cover based on pages in your document: