The Importance of Book Design - How to Lure A Reader by a Book Cover.

Information gathered from the recent symposium at the Singapore Writer's Festival 2007.
Thanks especially to the staff of Page One, Singapore.

by Suzan Abrams in London

• A good cover design is always about seduction as akin to meeting someone and forming first impressions.
• An excellent idea, concept, composition and execution is what makes for a sophisticated book jacket.
• The job of a cover is to seduce, provoke, convince and intrigue the reader. For instance, the picture of a strawberry has a more dramatic effect if not made obvious, but instead presented in a suggestive mood.
• Consider the business aspect. Art and commerce must meet on the book jacket. It must appeal to the senses and sell at the same time.
• A book design should never be complicated.
• A unique cover design is essential in helping difficult titles to sell especially when relying on scholarly subjects.
• 
  A book's designer is to act as a book's architect. Make a workable floor plan.
• Consider important factors before drawing up a design.
• Who are the readers?
• Size and form of a book.
• Material used.
• Binding quality.
• The user-friendliness of a font.
• 
  When the book designer holds up a book, does it feel good?
• At an international book fair, the book designer may have just 5 minutes at the most to present a book. The publisher must instantly be drawn to it.
• Understand the contents of the book you have chosen to design.
• If a book designer fails to read the appropriate manuscript beforehand, the cover will turn out to be superficially beautiful at the most.
• Always identify your audience.
• The author must always be prepared for the direction its publishing house chooses to venture in. The book jacket has to fit in with the aspirations and image of the desired publishing house.