Books are definitely judged by their covers. Those with more compelling and impactful covers, quite simply, have a better chance of being purchased and read. Book cover design trends are constantly evolving, and they tend to affect the industry as a whole. One day, you may walk into a bookstore or turn on your e-reader to discover that the overall look of book covers has changed, so keep an eye out, as the trends below relate to 2019 specifically.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest design trends of 2019:
Minimalism has been growing in popularity over recent years. The simplistic and practical lifestyle approach has impacted interior design, clothing, cuisine, and now even book cover design.
Minimalist book covers are distinguishable by their clean and straightforward designs. There are, in fact, two important aspects of a minimalist book cover—the use of a single color tone and the strategic use of white space to direct focus to a specific element. The basic premise of minimalist design is that a reader’s eye will be immediately drawn to the title and supporting image, because there is a lack of other elements to compete for attention.
This minimal design aesthetic works especially well for ebooks. A minimal and uncluttered book cover makes for a more visually appealing and eye-catching thumbnail.
Starting around 2017, “Millennial Pink” started showing up everywhere in droves, and book covers were no exception. This muted and creamy color is still extremely popular today, especially for books geared towards the late teen to early-20’s demographic. Pink does not seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.
The newest color to make waves in 2019 was “Gen-Z Yellow.” This fresh, modern, and inviting color is eye-catching and tends to really pop on social media posts. Look for book covers using this color in backgrounds and as bright accents in imagery or fonts.
In 2019, bookshelves seemed to have blossomed with botanical book covers. Flowers appeared in several forms, ranging from clean and crisp modern patterns to more intricate antique wallpaper designs. What set this floral trend apart is that the flowers tended to interact with text elements. Additionally, flowers are finding their way onto the covers of books written by both men and women and across many different genres.
One basic rule of thumb for book covers is that the title should never be covered or hidden so as to make it unreadable or indecipherable. After all, who is going to buy a book with an unknown title? A recent trend has emerged, though, which plays with this particular tenet. We are seeing more covers that are laying images or drawings over and betwixt the title text. This is, in essence, making the imagery part of the font itself.
Many books are using real life photos as their cover art. The pictures range from historical to modern, from black and white to sepia toned to vibrantly colored. What they tend to have in common is the authentic depiction of everyday life. You won’t find generic stock photos here; instead, covers are opting to use realistic snapshots to connect more to the potential audience and evoke visceral, emotional responses.
Double exposure photos are a way to show several different images in an artistic manner on the cover. Simply put, a double exposure offers an outline within the backdrop of a bigger picture. Typical examples include a face, or faces, atop a photo of a natural element. The overall effect is really quite impactful, and can be interpreted as dreamy or surreal, or even frenetic and frightful.
They do say history repeats itself. The same can be said for book covers. Retro touches and accents made a notable appearance in 2019 and can be found in a number of different ways. Imagery from Renaissance art, mid-century modern styled illustrations, and 1970’s era colors and layouts were some of the more prevalent examples.
A theme across so many modern book covers is big, bold typography. The newest fonts being used in regular rotation are blocky and clean with long lines. Lydian and sans serif are two of the more popular options. Another twist on the trend is the use of white for text. It really makes the title stand out against a colorful background.
From the title text to drawings to cross-outs, handwritten elements could be found on a variety of book covers in 2019 in almost every genre. Handwriting adds a human element to book covers and can actually be used to convey a wide range of feelings and emotions. For example, child-like writing or drawings look whimsical or nostalgic on a children’s book. That same writing could be disturbing or creepy, though, when used on a mystery or suspense cover.
Two other popular graphic elements of 2019 were birds and houses. Both can play to a number of different genres. Birds have been used symbolically in literature since almost the beginning of written history. Houses on book covers are typically symbolic of a family drama or psychological thriller. These images were seen often in conjunction with other trends listed above.
While this is not a conclusive list, these elements seemed to be the most trendy for 2019. Whether they last late into 2020 or beyond is a topic for further discussion.
This chapter was compiled from the following posts on the IngramSpark blog:
10 Book Cover Design Trends of 2019 by Dane Low, co-founder of Ebook Launch
