Friday, February 7, 2014

Bookish Five Friday(13) - Book Design Elements

I often buy books or don't buy books because of their covers. Unless I've heard something good about a book, I have trouble picking it up if it has a cover that doesn't appeal to me. These are some of my favorite cover elements or things I find appealing in covers.

1) Keep it Simple - When covers are too busy, I just put the book down and slowly walk away. I think a lot of times a simple cover coveys the book plot better than something overly complex. Sometimes I think eye catching isn't always a good thing. One example is The 5th Wave. The cover is simple and relevant to the story. 

2) Interesting Spine - Obviously if I'm walking through a book store and a book has a beautiful spine, I'll want to pick it up. Since books after often placed "spine out" on the shelf, I think its one of the best ways to bring attention to a book. I bought the hardcover edition of My Life Next Door just because the spine is pretty. It helps draw attention to the book more than a plain spine. Also I like it when people look at my shelves and ask about a book because they noticed it has a unique spine. 

3) Hardcover Surprise - One of my favorite things about buying hardcover books is there are often surprises under the dust jacket. I love it when a book has a design or something extra under the dust jacket. It makes buying books even more fun. A Monster Calls is a wonderful example of this idea. The physical book is beautiful and the inside cover also has a nice design. 

4) Deckled Edge - This is when a book has uneven pages and the book almost looks like parchment on the edges. I love this. I am 200% more likely to take a book home if it has deckled edges. I don't know why because I do think it makes it harder to flip pages, but I still love the look of the book. When Ignite Me arrived I was thrilled to see it has a deckled edge . 

5) Interesting Cover Texture - When a book feels different when I pick it up, its peaks my interest a little more. I'm not even sure why! Even so, I love it when books are soft or sleek. 

What appeals to you when you are shopping for books? Also if you want to see examples of covers and books that appeal to me you can check out last week's BFF which was my favorite covers right now. 

Last week's BFF----> Favorite Covers Right Now

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