However ornamental book jackets may be, they are also entry points to both the good and bad ideas that illuminate our possible futures. Conventional wisdom holds that an uninteresting book cover should never stop a worthy idea within from taking hold. And yet, so many conventions and so much wisdom were proved wrong this year that during my more histrionic moments, I wonder how many instances exist throughout the course of history in which book covers have worked against the potential human value of the books they’re wrapped around.

Here then are 12 reasons to be less fatalistic and more optimistic. These covers are challenging without being impenetrable and playful without being precious — none of which is an easy task for a designer. If good design might lure us into an experience that makes us smarter, then we’ve hit the jackpot when the book allows us to spend time within the head space of a stranger. To that end, the choices and considerations that went into each of these covers were persuasive enough for me to tune out the noise, turn away from my screen and be drawn into somebody else’s world for 250 or so ­pages. In a caustic year in which we have been driven to near-constant distraction, that makes effective design a superpower.