Creating Cohesive Visual Consistency When Designing a Book Series
Well done — you’ve written your book, and the product of your hard work is complete. Now, it just needs a spectacular cover.
Naturally, as a website promoting book cover designers, Spine would encourage you to hire a professional whose job revolves around making your books look amazing. However, if you’d prefer to do it yourself, read on for tips and tricks for creating a consistent and attractive series design that will grab readers’ attention.
Coming up with a design for a book series is different from a stand-alone title. Readers expect some consistency so they can spot the next release on a bookstore shelf. A strong design tells a story and will include elements that tie into the next book and onward. Designers must consider the whole series and find a theme they can carry throughout multiple covers.
Why Cohesiveness Matters in Book Cover Design
Over 2.6 million books a year are self-published, meaning it can be difficult to grab the attention of a limited pool of readers in your genre. Once you find your reader base, getting them to buy each new release in your series is crucial to building momentum. The volume gains traction when people easily recognize the covers and the latest release matches the rest of the series. Building a strong brand image will attract loyal fans and sell-through.
Creating Visual Consistency
People should know at a glance that a new book belongs with the rest of the series. Some authors create elements along the spine of print copies so they make a pattern when a reader places them on a bookshelf. Ideally, the front cover would also have elements that match.The back cover should have a similar layout for each title, with the author photo and blurb in the same location and with similar graphics.
Basic Layout
Before designing the first cover in a series, come up with a sketch of the layout. Decide whether to use symmetrical or asymmetrical elements. If you choose to feature your main character on the cover (there are arguments both for and against this), they need to be placed in a similar location each time and the same goes for the title and author name. Ideally, the only elements that will change are the images and the words in the title.
The Housemaid series by Frieda McFadden is an excellent example of consistent design through a book series. Note the keyhole on the front of each cover that mark it as part of the same series.
Typography
Choosing beautiful typefaces that match the series' tone is your opportunity to shine as a book designer. Some titles are transparent, allowing the background to peek through (although be aware that this can affect legibility). Others come in a script to show a traditional style. Clean and simple sans-serif fonts give covers a modern edge.
Select your typography carefully and stick with the same fonts throughout the series. Bear in mind that some fonts need to be licensed, and can be quite expensive. Consider having a look at some free font websites such as dafont.com or fontspace.com.
Create the title in the same typeface and similar size each time. It’s wise to select titles of similar length so you don’t have to increase font size and can create continuity. You can see a good example of this type of series continuity in Sue Grafton's alphabet series, with the first title being A Is for Alibi. Other titles in the series follow a similar structure, like B Is for Burglar and C Is for Corpse. The author chooses a pattern of X Is for X for each title.
Colors
Color is a powerful component in people's lives. Different shades are proven to impact mood, influence psychology and even initiate a physical response. When selecting a color palette for the series, consider what tone you’d like to create.
Readers might also prefer a particular color for a genre. A suspense novel might have dark, foreboding colors, while a romance would be lighter and brighter. You can also choose a color palette for the series and add a pop of unique color to each title with a banner or some other element.
The bright pinks of Meghan Quinn's bestselling romance novel are what one would expect to see for lighter reading. Consider other titles in the same genre and which shades would make a book pop but still fit in with the overall feel of the book’s category. Children’s books like Pinkalicious also embrace more youthful hues.
Themes
Select a few ideas that tie into the theme of the stories and add them to each cover. For example, if the main character has a dog, it might appear somewhere on each cover. If the theme is desolate wilderness, each background image might be of the great outdoors. Consider an overriding element that goes on each cover in the series. The tie-in can be subtle but still make an impression on readers.
Logo or Branding Element
Authors can learn a lot by studying famous logos and how they appear the same across different media. A series logo on the covers show each book is part of an overall collection. You might also use the series emblem in marketing efforts. Consistently presenting the same image leads to brand recognition and can increase sales.
Readers who see the series logo should instantly recognize it and look to see what book is next in the collection. When designing it, consider the different platforms where it might be used, such as your website, social media, promotional materials and ads. Something scalable, like an SVG, is your best bet for multiple uses.
While not all series feature a logo, they work well to unite a set of covers. Elle Kennedy’s Off-Campus series features a circular logo with a hockey mask icon and arched letters stating the series title and which book number the reader has.
Series Recognition Starts With Visuals
Designing a visually cohesive book series requires planning. The aesthetics of the covers matter, but so do more subtle elements like layout, sizing and theme. Try to keep it consistent. Each choice you make should tie into the covers that came before. The more books in a series, the more challenging continuity becomes, but it is worth the effort and should make them stand out in a well-stocked marketplace.
Eleanor Hecks is a writer and designer who is particularly interested in helping authors create eye-catching book covers. Her writing has been featured on publications such as I Need a Book Cover, Self-Publishing Review, The Independent Publishing Magazine, and more. She also serves as Editor in Chief of Designerly Magazine, where she covers today's latest graphic design and typography trends.