Tuesday 30 May 2017

What makes for a good cover?

When sifting through the ever-varying pile of poetry books on my desk, I wince at some of the covers, while others just seem to demand that I should dive in and start reading, so what makes for a good one?

Like so much in packaging and presentation, it's subjective. As I know from designing wine labels, everyone's taste is different, and one important point is to know your target audience. And then there's the question of balance: eye-catching but not garishly so, an attractive font but not over the top.

However, for me, perhaps the most pivotal point is how the cover images and design relate to the book's title. If they are disparate, that won't draw anybody in, while a simple physical reflection or depiction of the title doesn't bring much to the party either. My favourite covers are those that clearly fit within a publisher's house style and build on the idea of stablemates, complementing the title, hinting at the book's contents, enticing the reader along.

All of the above is on my mind when I consider the cover that Edwin Smet at Eyewear has designed for The Knives of Villalejo. Of course, I'm totally biased! What do you think...?



5 comments:

  1. Congratulations Matthew! So exciting to see the cover.

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    1. Thanks, Maria! Looking forward to seeing you in September.

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  2. Very nice, I think. If you're happy with it, you are surely the best judge :)

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    1. Thanks, Clarissa. The only problem is that often poets are the worst judges of this kind of thing...!

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  3. Dear Matthew

    Yes, impressive cover. I've seen some diabolical ones in my time. The two poets in the news at the moment are Tony Walsh of Manchester fame and Rupi Kaur. She is a young Canadian Sikh and her debut volume of simple poetry (Milk and Honey) has already sold a million and a half copies. If only Carcanet had picked her up, it would have solved all their financial problems at a stroke.

    Best wishes from Simon R Gladdish

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