Compelling Covers
Content Creation Series
Compelling Covers
Content Creation Series
"Why would they have book covers if we aren't supposed to judge the book by them? It makes no sense."
Ingrid Weir
Project Type: Content Series
Timeline: 07.06.26 → 08.21.26
HISTORYThere have been many key periods within the history of book cover design: the first book covers functioned exclusively as protection for sacred texts (often embossed, hand-engraved, and inlaid with gems/gold), while modern book cover design serves as an aesthetic representation of both a book's contents and the owner's tastes.
The printing revolution began in 1450, which sped up book cover production and swapped the older, ornate covers for leather. As time continued, books became smaller and more portable, and were bound with cloth (approximately by 1840). By the 1920s, fully illustrated paper book jackets were the standard in the industry (for example, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald).
DEFINING THE PROJECT
As an avid reader myself and extremely judgmental shopper when it comes to books, my goal with this project is to deepen my understanding of the history and significance of book cover design while continuing to deepen my curiosity surrounding the future of book cover design, what it might look like, and the factors that will come into play.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
PHASE 1 | RESEARCH
Once I’d created the project proposal, I could begin gathering sources to use throughout my project.
As a graphic designer who hopes to one day work in book cover design, my goal is that my thorough research (and deliverables) for this project positions me within the industry as an expert in my field.
OVERVIEW
PROJECT PHASES
After reviewing the timeline from my project proposal, I expanded it into a detailed Asana plan that breaks the remaining seven weeks into specific research, design, and production phases. Each week includes major tasks, recurring deliverables, and detailed subtasks that outline exactly what needs to be completed.
RECURRING DELIVERABLES
A newsletter and Instagram infographic carousel will be created each week to document my research progress and translate academic findings into accessible visual content. These recurring tasks remain consistent across the project, while the research focus changes each week.
PHASE 2 | PRE-PRODUCTION
For the seven weeks of my project, it is important to move forward with a clear and detailed plan. This project combines academic research, design analysis, and content creation, which means there are many moving parts that need to be organized carefully. Creating a project plan allows me to think more critically about each phase of the work, prioritize my time, and make sure I do not overlook important deliverables
ABOUT MY PROCESS
Throughout the seven-week course of this project, I experienced numerous life changes and hiccups along the way, causing me to shift my project plan in accordance with this. However, a little behind-the-scenes is always fun. I enjoy working in an organized space, and tried body doubling for the first time, which helped immensely with productivity!
PHASE 3 | PRODUCTION
POST NO.1
DELIVERABLES
How Book Covers Became Marketing Tools
This first newsletter of the series focused on a fairly simple question:
When did book covers stop protecting books and start selling them?
POST NO.2
The Psychology of Type on Book Covers
This week, I dove into the intersections of psychology and typography and how they interact in the publishing sphere.
POST NO.3
Exploring Book Genre “Phenotypes” (in the wild!)
This week, I spent some time in Barnes & Noble to get a better understanding of trends within book cover design, and how they manifest as “phenotypes” that very genre to genre.
SLOW + STEADY GROWTH
While my follower / subscriber counts didn’t skyrocket, I did expand my audience over the seven week period. I will be continuing to post the subsequent Instagram carousels in the coming days, and hope to continue growing my account from there.
While there are numerous community posts on Substack promising: “DON'T BE SHOCKED if you gain 100 new subscribers from this note. Let's grow and support each other! 🙌”, I am extremely happy with going from 0 to 13 regular readers on my Substack posts. I am a firm believer in quality over quantity, especially on platforms such as Substack.
