Design a Book Cover

Have you ever picked up a book because the cover looked amazing? Book covers are designed to make you want to read the story inside. Today you become the designer — and to design well, you need to understand what every part of a cover does.

The four elements of a book cover

• Title — the name of the book, written clearly and large enough to read from a distance. The title font should match the mood — big and bold for adventure, soft and curvy for a gentle story.
• Front illustration — a picture that captures the most important character, setting, or moment. It does NOT give away the ending! It creates curiosity.
• Author's name — written on the front, usually smaller than the title. The author is the person who wrote the story.
• Back blurb — a short paragraph on the back. It introduces the character and the problem just enough to make the reader want to open the book. It never reveals the ending!

How to plan your illustration

• Think about the main character — what do they look like? What expression do they have?
• Think about the setting — what is in the background? What colors match the mood?
• Mood colors — exciting = bold bright colors; scary = dark colors; happy = warm yellows and oranges.
• Choose ONE strong scene or image — not a collage of everything that happens.

How to write a back blurb

• Start with the character and setting: "Meet [character], a [description] who lives in [setting]."
• Introduce the problem: "One day, [problem happens]…"
• End with a hook — a question or cliffhanger: "Can [character] [solve the problem]? Find out inside!"
• Length: 3–5 sentences. Short enough to read in 20 seconds.