Content Covered by Cover?

Design: Don't judge a book by its cover.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/may/09/judge-book-by-cover


While “albums are sold across the world inside a universal sleeve and blockbuster films branded in a singular style", novels are given a different cover in almost every country. The reason for this is unknown though some people suggest it might be a cultural thing. Also, marketing might play an important role. In the US and the UK covers are desperately trying to get the attention from people passing by, while in countries like Germany the cover is kept really simple. Others are sceptical about book buyers being so different in each country that they require different covers. There might also be an element of pride in designing a cover for a book. It has certainly become the norm to start covers from scratch, with variable results.


“What you are trying to get across on a cover is the essence of a book” according to Nathan Burton. I agree with him on this point. Covers are important, as many people, including myself, often judge a book by its jacket. It has always puzzled me why for example the Dutch wrappings of Harry Potter are very different from the English ones. I was in a library in Sweden once where they had both the English and Swedish version of several fantasy books I knew. It was very interesting to see these, as I only recognized them by the authors name on the cover. Whatever the reason for the ‘cover confusion’, it’s interesting to see how every designer has a different interpretation of the book and thus creates a different cover.