The art of book cover design is delicate. There’s no exact formula. Some covers whisper subtleties; other designs scream in your face. Much like crafting the perfect typography, learning to design a great book cover takes passion, dedication and the desire to be bold.
We know, we know. We should never judge a book by its cover.
But looking at this set, it’s damn hard not to. Here are 19 of our recent book cover favorites that are in stores or on the way.
Cover by Joan Wong. Image courtesy of Pantheon.
Cover by Rodrigo Corral. Image courtesy of New Directions.
Cover design by Heads of State. Art direction by Maria T. Middleton. Image courtesy of Amulet Books.
Cover design by Alex Merto. Image courtesy of Riverhead.
Jacket design by Isabel Urbina. Image courtesy of Knopf.
Cover by Peter Mendelsund. Image courtesy of Pantheon.
Cover design by Office of Paul Sahre. Image courtesy of New Directions.
Jacket design by Peter Mendelsund. Image courtesy of Knopf.
Cover design by Office of Paul Sahre. Image courtesy of New Directions.
Cover design by Charlotte Strick. Creative Director: Rodrigo Corral. Image courtesy of Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Cover by Rodrigo Corral Design / Rachel Adam Rogers. Image courtesy of Little A/New Harvest.
Jacket design by Abby Weintraub. Image courtesy of Knopf.
Designer & Creative Director: Rodrigo Corral. Art: courtesy of the Library of Congress. Cover image courtesy of Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Design by Helen Yentus. Lettering by Jason Booher. Image courtesy of Riverhead.
Designer: Nayon Cho. Illustrator: Mark Stutzman. Creative Director: Rodrigo Corral. Image courtesy of Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Cover by Pablo Delcan. Image courtesy of Pantheon.
Jacket design by Kelly Blair. Image courtesy of Knopf.
Cover design by Rodrigo Corral & Rachel Adam Rogers. Image courtesy of New Directions.
Looking for more? Go under the covers with Print’s Guide to Book Jacket Design, which features cover design advice from accomplished art directors at Penguin, Hachette and Vintage Books, visual inspiration from the best book covers of the 20th century, the stories behind cover design concepts that didn’t make the final cut, and more. Check it out here.
And, of course, don’t miss Print magazine on your favorite tablet, or in, well, print.
*All cover credits as provided by publishers.