We spend our entire lives hearing the phrase “never judge a book by its cover”, and this statement becomes true when we enter the world of possibilities that only reading can provide us. But the fact is: we spend so much time reflecting on the content itself that we don’t really analyze the book cover or even the process behind creating it. Seeking to understand how this composition influences the reading is fundamental both for writers who want to publish a book and for those who want to work with Editorial Design someday.
With that in mind, Her Campus interviewed Maria Cândida Almeida Castro, Professor of Design at Cásper Líbero University, to explain this professional activity more deeply.
It is a consensus among everyone that the main objective of book covers is to attract the reader to the written content. However, the creative development to the final print says a lot more about communication than you might think. The bond created between author and reader does not begin with the appreciation of the first words, but with the external illustration that covers the story.
The artist Maria Cândida says: “There are books that are incredible from the verbal and imaginative point of view, but the covers leave something to be desired for not translating that power, for not starting the path of the reading process”. It is important to understand the covers as an initial communication course with regard to the attraction and perception of the target audience.
“I think we can’t judge a cover by its book nor a book by its cover”
Maria Cândida Almeida Castro
From thought to print
Since it is a very introductory process, it is common to encounter difficulties along the way. The college professor reports that the biggest challenges faced among her students consist of operating the content creation and editing software (like Adobe InDesign), understanding the technical demands and building a coherent identity through the weight distribution of visual and verbal information in the book covers. The good selection and organization of the images will reflect in the final work by arousing the curiosity of the future reader.
To this end, Maria explains the steps she followed in her first experience in creating covers, about 20 years ago: “It requires a lot of research and a lot of observation of other book covers to understand the demands that the text asks and try to make a visual translation of that content”. In this way, the cover is nothing more than an imagery reflection of the text that is responsible for creating the initial relationship of interest with the reader and, consequently, the full immersion of the book.
Certainly, this is a job that involves many details and demands a unique brand or visual identity from the designer. The publisher plays a decisive role in the face of this meticulous elaboration and selection process of the cover elements and the cover art itself. “Publishers have a certain language standard on their covers”, explains the professor. “Generally these publishers already have their own cover artist to follow an identity consistent with the editorial proposal of the publisher”.
Therefore, the authors of the work do not always determine in advance how the cover of their story will be, it depends on the publisher in charge and the relationship with the designer for the creation of an authorial project. Cover styles also vary due to thematic issues and the literary genre addressed, directly influencing this creative process.
Brazil vs North America: how cultural elements influence book covers
When thinking about different guidelines and production paths, it becomes impossible not to think about the differences between Brazilian and North American book covers. Cândida highlights the tendency from abroad not to use the flaps of books often, as part of that communication language. Brazil, on the other hand, follows an opposite trend that is explained by understanding the book flaps not only by their practical function of protecting the work, but also of expanding the reader’s relationship with the book through the dimensionality of the cover.
“Although, there is a discussion on whether to use the flaps or not, due to the ease of reading online through downloading in PDFs”, says the designer. “In the Brazilian market, it is quite common to produce books with this type of cover, promoting a more intimate and physical connection with the reader in libraries and bookstores”, she adds.
This distinction has a very important point that goes back to the roots of cultural evolution. Each society has a unique history, responsible for guiding what kind of imagery resources, textual and above all creative ones, will be used by the author inserted in a given culture. Professor Maria explains: “Every person within their process of evolution will have cultural signs that can help to build an imagination within a public”.
“If the book reflects the Brazilian people, obviously we will have visual representations very close to our culture”, she exemplifies. Therefore, the production of these covers does not differ only by graphic elements, but also by cultural artistic nature that is responsible for reflecting the history of a society in an almost imperceptible way.
Learn more about Editorial Design
To those who wish to improve or engage in the field of Editorial Design, Maria Cândida Almeida advises having a lot of repertoire. It is not enough just to critically analyze covers, but to develop an analytical vision of the world, to have contact with different literary contents, to study the authors and the target audience. It is necessary to cover yourself with references for each project. It is a long journey of criticism and self-knowledge that shapes the designers’ perception to better understand and deepen this relationship with the image.
Understanding how these tools work and applying them in the creation process requires a lot of dedication to technical programs and theories. Learning to use these softwares proves to be truly challenging, although it is a fundamental step to be taken. The artist makes a final note in this regard: “Seek to make a detailed use of the programs so that you can have a work of excellence and continue to be free to worry more about creation and less about the technical part”. After all, there is nothing more pleasurable than reading and understanding a book beyond its story, entering its exterior in a consistent way, never done before.
————————————————————
The article above was edited by Amanda Moraes.
Liked this type of content? Check out Her Campus Cásper Líbero home page for more!