I’m fortunate in having discovered what it is that I want to do now that I’m finally growing up. I want to design books, newsletters, ezines, print publications—I just enjoy laying out and designing words & images on a page so they are aesthetically pleasing but in a way that complements the content rather than overwhelm it.
So what makes a good book design? I don’t think there’s a concrete answer to that. Each book will be different. Each cover is different. Design must reflect and complement content otherwise there’s a definite disconnect. I discovered only very recently just how important a cover can be. Not necessarily the right cover but rather a cover that indicates visually what’s contained content-wise between the covers. An author I’m working with wrote a wonderful book but every time I showed the cover image to someone (who knew the subject matter) the first question was “what does that picture have to do with what the book’s about?” I couldn’t tell them (I didn’t do the cover or participate in that part of the process). I didn’t know.
If a cover requires “explanation” it probably isn’t the cover you want on your book.
As an interior book designer (and web designer) I prefer to work from a cover so that there is unity in the presentation. Ideally I love working with authors who bring together their designers and work with them all as a team. It rarely happens. Even better is when I’m commissioned to go from cover to interior to web. Design done that way flows smoothly and retains a consistency that simply isn’t possible any other way.
However, no matter what the process, I love working with authors and their book design. For someone with my background and interests this is that “job” that doesn’t entail “working” — a labor of love just isn’t “work” … it’s the heart’s content.
