Minimalism vs Maximalism: The Battle for Readers' Attention in 2024
In today’s attention economy, authors and publishers are competing not only with each other, but also with the many distractions of life 一 from streaming platforms to social feeds. Book covers have long played a vital role in driving sales by appealing to the book’s target audience. Yet now more than ever, they’re an author and publisher’s best chance to compel people to stop what they’re doing and find out more about their book. The question is how to create a cover that will achieve this.
In this article, we’ll look at two current trends at opposite ends of the design spectrum, both hoping to emerge victorious in the battle for readers’ attention: minimalism vs maximalism. Let’s see what drives these trends and exactly how they manifest on the book covers we love.
The lone object: minimalism in primary colors
One trend that has been going strong in 2024 is the “minimalist” cover which boils the design down to one central idea. Particularly popular in literary fiction, this style involves picking one motif or theme in the story and constructing the cover around it. The designer usually employs an illustrative or “graphic design” style, sometimes veering towards the abstract.
The central motif is then flatly overlaid on a monochrome background — often in primary pigments — while the typography uses a contrasting or accenting color. See examples of these covers in all colors of the rainbow:
Each of these follows similar principles: flat monochrome background, central design motif, and clean typography. From Kaveh Akbar’s cartoon knight on horseback to the throwback aesthetic of Gretel and the Great War, these minimalist covers ultimately work because they lower the threshold for engagement, soothing the overstimulated optic nerve of readers. They deliver an impactful first impression because they are immediately comprehensible for the distracted viewer; at first glance, no deeper contemplation or deciphering is required to make sense of them. All essential information about the book is delivered in a succinct, effective way.
Of course, that’s not to say that these covers are simple. On the contrary, as each element pulls a heavier weight than on “busier” covers, minimalist covers require precision and attention to detail to capture the right tone of the novel.
Consider, for instance, how even though these five covers all share similar characteristics, they still manage to deliver different tones using relatively few design elements. The trotting pig on Kiley Reid’s Come and Get It combined with the title produces a provocative and satiric overall impression — whereas the dark squiggle with the haunting eyes on Monstrilio creates a sense of anxiety, hinting at the literary horror genre of the story. The ballerina’s leg and military helmet of Gretel strike a different note entirely, producing a nostalgic effect — almost like that of an old poster or advertisement in a vintage store.
In other words: yes, these covers look deceptively simple. But they tread a fine balance of being instantly recognisable and intriguing, with more layers to discover once they’ve pulled you in. The “maximalist” trend, meanwhile, takes the opposite tack in terms of reader engagement.
Everything everywhere all at once: saturated maximalism
On the other end of the spectrum, we have an elaborate book cover style that lives by the maxim (no pun intended) that more is more. Like minimalism, this is far from a brand-new approach to book cover design — but in 2024, maximalist covers cater to the visually driven facets of bookish media, where books are as much about the reading experience as they are about decor and personal style.
These covers often feature saturated colors and intricate yet bold design elements; they definitely stand out on a social media grid. Unlike the minimalist approach, maximalist covers attempt to offer readers a sense of added value that makes it worth investing in the physical book rather than the ebook or audiobook.
Maximalist covers seem to be especially popular in the historical fiction genre, for fantasy novels, and for generational family sagas. Take these five covers as examples:
Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel and Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier are both fantasy novels rooted in mythology; Rachel Kong’s Real Americans and The Great Divide by Cristina Henríquez are sweeping historical fiction tales following large casts of characters; and Sarah J. Maas’s House of Flame and Shadow is the third book in the Crescent City fantasy series.
But they all have specific things in common. By including a wide variety of elements on their cover and using rich details, the designers hint at elaborate stories full of intrigue and, literally, many layers of thematic meaning. And though the covers are elaborate, the designers cleverly use framing and composition methods to keep the covers looking “balanced” and uncluttered. Indeed, among the covers above, you’ll note that none of them have design elements that explode wildly into all corners of the cover; they’re “reigned in” by carefully placed lines, shapes, and other subtle borders.
These covers also tend to feature rich colors, gilded lettering or other details, flowers or swirling typography, and generous decorations. And beyond matching just the genre and content of these stories, they tend to be longer books. House of Flame and Shadow, for instance, clocks in at some 840 pages whereas The Goddess of the River is just short of the 500-page mark.
When you think about it, there’s likely a direct relationship between these things. Again, the maximalist cover design strives to convince readers that this book is “worth it” — not just in terms of monetary investment, but also in terms of their time.
Same battle, different lanes
While both minimalist and maximalist covers are fighting a similar battle for the attention of readers, we nevertheless do find these covers at either end of the design spectrum. This is not just because designers have different ideas about the best way to cut through the noise, but because they are ultimately trying to appeal to two different types of readers.
The reader who will pause at the pared-down red and black of One Day, Everyone Will Always Have Been Against This is probably not the same reader who will be drawn in by the vivid colors and design of The Great Divide. Likewise, a reader who enjoys the realistic rendering of the girl's face on the cover of Dragonfruit, may not be so drawn to the cartoon characters on the covers of Martyr! and Monstrilio.
True, there will always be some overlap in genre and readership — but it is the designer’s job to know how to grab the attention of the specific readership that the author is trying to reach. Great book cover design is, of course, design that has clear purpose and intent. So rather than battling against each other, it’s fair to say that in the battle for attention in 2024, minimalist and maximalist covers may be neck-and-neck, but remain distinctly in their own lanes.
Linnea Gradin is a writer for Reedsy — a website that connects authors with freelancing publishing professionals and gives advice on everything writing and publishing related. When Linnea is not reading, she can be found dribbling on the football pitch, dabbling in foreign languages, or exploring the local cuisine of whatever country she happens to be in at the time.