We may aspire to the age-old wisdom of “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” but let’s be real. We ALL judge books by their covers—and for good reason. Whether the style is more conventional or more creative, book cover designs tell us as potential readers what to expect from the book.
Through color, typography, and imagery, a book cover immediately signals who the book is for, which genre it belongs to, what themes are involved, and what overall tone it will strike. By getting the book cover design right, you’ll connect with your target readers on an instant emotional level.
In this piece, we’ll cover:
- 16 inspiring book cover samples by color
- 9 more book cover ideas by style and theme
- 8 book cover design trends for 2022
- A brief history of book cover design
- Quick steps for creating your own book cover
16 Examples of Well-Chosen Book Cover Colors
Color is where the mood of any graphic design starts. Get inspired by these examples of beautiful designs in all the book cover colors.
Black
Let’s start with a color that’s technically not a color: black. Black book covers often feel serious, weighty, mysterious, formal, or dramatic.
White
Depending on the other design elements on the book cover, white can feel modern, elegant, minimal, pure, clean, or simple. Explore the meaning of white in more detail.
Yellow
Yellow feels vibrant, joyful, energetic, and bright. An undeniably bold choice for a book cover, yellow can help any book stand out on crowded shelves (and as e-commerce thumbnails!).
Red
Red is another powerful choice for a book cover, conveying deep gut-level emotions like passion, love, boldness, confidence, and action.
Blue
From greenish-blue teals to phantom blues, there’s no doubt that blue is one of the most popular and widely used colors in graphic design—book covers included!
Blue tends to feel trustworthy, traditional, tranquil, and serene.
Orange
Fiery, zesty, and creative, orange makes a statement when it comes to book cover art. Certain shades of orange also have a retro feel that hearkens back to the 1960s and 70s.
Purple
Purple is a bit of an enigma. Rarely anyone’s favorite color, purple can evoke feelings of mystery, wonder, royalty, and magic . . . or feelings of gloom and discomfort.
Because it’s a less common choice, purple can certainly work wonders for a creative book cover design.
Green
In terms of meaning, green is one of the most diverse colors. Green can symbolize envy, fertility, growth, and evil. It’s just as commonly used for Frankenstein-esque monsters as it is for gorgeous botanicals.
9 Other Cool Book Cover Ideas by Theme
Color is one way to think about your book cover design, but it’s not the only place to start. If you instead have an idea about the overall theme or general design vibe you want to achieve, check out the cool book cover ideas below. . . .
1. Minimalist
Minimalist designs feel light, modern, and elevated—perfect for bringing to life simple book cover design ideas. They’re ideal for a coffee table book or as a trendy decor piece.
2. Maximalist
At the other end of the spectrum, maximalist designs are busy and ornate. Victorian-style lettering and metallic book cover embossing are classic examples.
3. Text Only
Cleverly positioned text—with no imagery at all—can make for a surprisingly creative book cover design.
4. Abstract
Abstract book covers are often used for literary fiction (as opposed to popular genre fiction). These book covers tend to evoke a theme or symbol more than a character, plot point, or setting.
5. Visual Puns
For some types of books, there’s a great opportunity to create a delightful visual pun with the cover, which this book cover sample has done so well.
6. Photos
Photos can be seen on book covers across genres, but some genres tend to use them more, including romance, thriller, mystery, and popular nonfiction.
If you plan to create a book cover with face photos, make sure you choose carefully. (Try browsing Shutterstock’s photo assets for good examples.)
7. Illustrative
Whether digitally or traditionally created, illustrations often make cute book cover ideas for children’s books. Depending on the graphic style, however, illustrations can be used for any genre and any age of reader.
8. Naturescapes
Whether it’s travelogs or literary fiction, naturescapes always make an impression. Choose a stark black and white photo for a dramatic feel, or go with something hand-drawn for a friendlier nature book cover design.
9. Vintage
Another surefire design choice for any genre is retro/vintage. The beauty of vintage design is that you have hundreds—even thousands—of years from which to draw inspiration for your book cover.
Vintage could mean classic Americana (like the example below) or something reaching back to Greek antiquity.
8 Book Cover Design Trends for 2022
After 2021’s “book blob” or “unicorn frappuccino” trend, what can we expect for book covers in 2022? Check out some design trends that you’ll likely see on bookstore shelves.
1. Uneven Typography
Fonts with varying letter forms—especially weight and width—will continue to be popular thanks to their dynamism and interest.
2. Pink, Pink, Pink
Pacific Pink is one of 2022’s top color trends, and book covers will certainly be sharing in the color.
3. Gritty Monochromes
Basically, the polar opposite of Pacific pink is yet another trend for 2022—the rough, dark, black-and-white. These book covers feature heavy texturing and a gritty Guernica feel.
4. Box Sets
Move over, simple covers! Readers are clamoring for fancier packaging that doubles as decor.
5. Lines and Grids
Grids are so fundamental to design that they can hardly be called a trend, but you can expect playful and possibly unexpected takes on grids and lines.
6. Collage
Mixed-media collages can create a surprising, chaotic, and almost uncomfortable vibe for some, but it’s a style that connects with Gen Z and will almost certainly grow in popularity this year.
7. More Inclusive Imagery
Historically, publishers haven’t been known for pushing the boundaries, but the industry is finally catching up to the times with images that celebrate more diversity. Needless to say, there’s a lot more work to be done.
8. Colorful Minimalism
The pairing of two highly-saturated colors may not sound minimal, but current trends in branding and graphic design have shown just how well this approach can work.
A Quick Look at Book Cover Design—Past and Present
Curious how book cover designs have shifted over the centuries? Here’s a very quick look at book cover design through the ages.
The Earliest Books
In the days where literacy was reserved for the ruling and religious classes, book covers were grandiose and ornate.
The role of the cover (usually leather, gold, or even ivory) was to protect the valuable pages inside, to reflect the gravity of the contents, and—perhaps above all—to serve as a status symbol.
Post Industrial Revolution
After steam-powered printing presses made books easier to print, publishers began to experiment with different book cover styles, such as watercolor inlays, gold-stamped fabric, and illustrated tissue paper.
Advances in color printing allowed for even more experimentation, and covers began to take on the role of marketing the book inside.
Post 1930s
Why the 1930s, you ask? The invention of Penguin paperback books, of course! This new mass market required book covers to be both easy to recognize and easy to reproduce.
Now, book covers began to incorporate contemporaneous graphic design trends and to express a wide variety of styles—some more abstract and artistic, some more expressive, some more “high brow,” and some more mass market.
Contemporary Era
With contemporary book covers, there are few hard-and-fast rules. Photos, paintings, abstract shapes, playful typography—everything is game.
The rise of self-publishing has led to another game-changing book cover trend: the DIY design. With tools like Shutterstock Create, self-published authors can create their own book covers without requiring an agent or a publishing house behind them.
The Book Cover Design Process in 5 Steps
Thinking about creating your own book cover? Here’s a quick guide:
1. Examine Your Genre
The covers of bestselling books almost always pull from expected design themes within their genre, whether that’s “the clinch” of steamy romance novels or the darkly silhouetted man of detective thrillers. Completely original isn’t always better.
2. Make a Moodboard
Using the book cover samples above and your own internet research, start collecting book covers you like. Save them to a Pinterest board so that you can compare them and find trends in the styles you like.
3. Understand Color
Color is king for book covers, so spend some time on color theory to choose one that fits your book’s themes and overall aesthetic.
Don’t forget, too, that colors mean different things to different cultures.
4. Experiment
Open Shutterstock Create and start playing around with fonts, colors, and imagery—you’ve got millions of stock assets to choose from! Try layering text on photos for a trendy look or adding hand doodles for a youthful feel.
5. Get Feedback and Repeat
Once you have an initial concept, ask your network for feedback. Then repeat the process above, doing more research and making adjustments until your design is perfect.
With the examples and ideas above, you’re ready to create your own book cover—or to simply enjoy the beauty of a creative book cover design.
Cover image via GoodStudio.
