Cover design brief
WritersServices Self-publishing
Cover design brief
- You will need to provide a cover design brief. Take a look at what the designer needs to know.
- A well-designed, informative cover is a good investment. The cover is more than just the wrapping that holds the pages together. It is a key to capturing the attention of potential readers in a bookshop.
- The cost of a cover will depend on the amount of work and any copyright permission required. This is not an open-ended financial commitment. You will have a quote for the work before you commission the final work.
- Hardbacks also require a dust jacket as well as some details on the board covers. The cover design is used for the hardback dust jacket.
How to write a cover brief
Points to include:
- The style
There are, broadly, 3 types of cover to choose from:
| Lettering | Simple four-colour lettering design, possibly with a patterned or textured background. | This might suit a textbook, or reference book, or the hardback case of a hardback book. |
| Photographic | Using an image that illustrates the book. If you don't have something suitable, the designer can find an illustration from a specialist archive which is likely to cost about £100. You might commission models and a photographer for the cover but this will be expensive. | This is excellent for historic or regional works. Make sure you own the copyright of any photo you plan to use. |
| Design | The designer will take your brief and produce some visuals. It is important that you are prepared to work with the designer, who will interpret your brief to provide a distinctive cover which you can discuss and revise. | This includes the designer producing a cover design or commissioning or finding an illustration. |
You need to consider:
- The theme or key image from the book that you want to use on the cover.
- Is there a particular character or scene from your novel you would like to show on the cover?
- Should there be a dominant colour?
- Are there any visual clues such as badges or colours that will identify the content?
- Is the book designed to be part of a series? Does it need to match existing books?
Please provide as full a brief as you can.
