On Covers
Ah, covers. That one element of the book that can be so often forgotten, yet is so critical. A good cover can make a book: it draws the attention of a prospective reader and plants a seed of curiosity in their mind. On the other hand, a bad cover can be the death knell for even the best written book. There are millions of books out there, so why should the reader pay attention to one with a single color and a bunch of crummy text?
As I started on preliminary designs for the cover of Howl, I began thinking about the process I used to design my first book cover for Black Wolf. While being my first attempt, it birthed several design elements that I continue to use.
The first, and most distinctive element that I came up with was the use of the circuit board pattern as a background. Black Wolf is a science fiction novel dealing with a virtual reality, so I used the pattern to draw attention to that part of the narrative.
In fact, that element became so distinctive that I also use the pattern for my short story covers as well. The reason is simple: the design is clean and uncomplicated, but it's very, very eye-catching and can be applied to any number of color patterns. It also gives my work a unified theme: a reader can immediately tell that a work is from the World at War series simply from the pattern on the cover.
The second element of my novel covers is the unit patch design. Since the series deals with fictional military units inside the World at War MMO, I put that on the cover. I did it instead of a battle scene or a character picture because it conveys what the novel is about. It's not just about one character who's part of Black Wolf Company: it's about Black Wolf Company, as told through the eyes of one person. I felt that the unit patch emphasized that distinction: it's about the group, not the individual.
So in summary, the design elements for the Black Wolf cover are as follows:
1. The circuit board pattern ties into the virtual reality setting, and provides a background that is eye-catching without being overpowering.
2. The unit patch helps to emphasize one of the themes of the book: that it's about the group, not the individual.
Put them together, and it makes a pretty good looking cover. So what do you think about cover design?
As I started on preliminary designs for the cover of Howl, I began thinking about the process I used to design my first book cover for Black Wolf. While being my first attempt, it birthed several design elements that I continue to use.
The first, and most distinctive element that I came up with was the use of the circuit board pattern as a background. Black Wolf is a science fiction novel dealing with a virtual reality, so I used the pattern to draw attention to that part of the narrative.
In fact, that element became so distinctive that I also use the pattern for my short story covers as well. The reason is simple: the design is clean and uncomplicated, but it's very, very eye-catching and can be applied to any number of color patterns. It also gives my work a unified theme: a reader can immediately tell that a work is from the World at War series simply from the pattern on the cover.
The second element of my novel covers is the unit patch design. Since the series deals with fictional military units inside the World at War MMO, I put that on the cover. I did it instead of a battle scene or a character picture because it conveys what the novel is about. It's not just about one character who's part of Black Wolf Company: it's about Black Wolf Company, as told through the eyes of one person. I felt that the unit patch emphasized that distinction: it's about the group, not the individual.
So in summary, the design elements for the Black Wolf cover are as follows:
1. The circuit board pattern ties into the virtual reality setting, and provides a background that is eye-catching without being overpowering.
2. The unit patch helps to emphasize one of the themes of the book: that it's about the group, not the individual.
Put them together, and it makes a pretty good looking cover. So what do you think about cover design?
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