Last month we gave you a run-down of things to consider when designing a book cover. Things like ensuring you have a clear message and at least partial adhesion to genre conventions to attract the right customer base.
Those tips aren't all that useful though if you're not too sure how to tackle the technical aspects of designing the artwork. So to help you out, we've rounded up a few free tutorials to get started on the path to literary design stardom.
These tutorials are suitable for a beginner to intermediate skill level, and to make your job of deciding on the most suitable one for you easier, we've given you their main points of interest below.
Look at this step-by-step Photoshop video tutorial and see how easily the book cover design process could be!
What is it about?
The main focus is not on creating a design, but rather on the in-situ application, meaning how to place your design onto a sample book cover.
The tutorial shows you where to get an "action" in Photoshop and how you use this "action" for a book cover
Yet, the tutorial does show the importance of positioning and creating a hierarchy in regards to typography and image
How useful is it?
Great for beginners as this tutorial really goes into the nitty-gritty – from downloading and loading an image on Photoshop to placing your design onto a book cover
Very simple, especially if you understand how to use "action" on Photoshop CS5 or CS6. And if you don't, the tutorial explains it thoroughly
Really useful!!! Just having a design doesn't always win a client. Showing a design in-situ is great as it will assist your client to understand it in a real situation
Tools: Photoshop CS5 or CS6
Visit this Photoshop tutorial to get some basic skills in book cover design.
What is it about?
Focuses on retro, aged book covers
The first half focuses on digitally illustrating a superman vector, the second on creating the retro book cover
Even if you're not feeling the superheroes - if you are after having texture on your book cover, this is the tutorial to use
How useful is it?
If you want to follow someone else's design this is tutorial to begin with. There are small pointers on how to draw up vectors of Superman that may help you. Especially, if you need a better understanding of using "pathfinder"
If you want to focus on the book cover design, you must scroll through to around halfway down the page
You may need to know a bit more about Photoshop and Illustrator as the images in this tutorial don’t show the whole program
It is quite useful, if you want to learn about creating book covers in general, but this focuses more on a particular style of a book cover so might not be for you if you're looking for general skills
Tools: Illustrator & Photoshop
Youtube is full of different Photoshop tutorials. This is one of the simplest, but that doesn't mean it's no good.
What is it about?
A speedy tutorial on creating the front and back cover, including the spine of a book
Focuses on hard book covers
Shows you how to use margins to guide you to design the book cover
How useful is it?
Although the tutorial is quick and not detailed, it is precise and straight to the point. Maybe not for a beginner's Photoshop skill level
This is great, as the tutorial shows the importance of guidelines (margins) and also focuses on the overall book cover rather than just the front page
Tools: Photoshop
This is advanced level video tutorial, so be aware of that before you start.
What is it about?
This tutorial helps set your file and gives you tips for your design. For example, it suggests using only two fonts for your book cover
Discusses spine width, layouts, colors and typography. Includes guides, bleeds and margins.
How useful is it?
Uses InDesign as it is much better for printed publication
Quite useful, especially if you want a print-ready design
Tools: InDesign (but can use Photoshop)
Here you'll learn how to create the "Let's Go to Monster School!" book cover.
What is it about?
Explores how a character can create the start of a book cover
Focuses on tracing your hand-drawn sketch and defining the shapes and colors. Also explains the logic of shading and where shadows should go.
This tutorial explains that there are a couple of processes to complete a book cover – designing your sketches, then placement of text and texture to make your book cover come to life.
How useful is it?
It's aimed at an intermediate level as the designer doesn't explain the process of creating the vector thoroughly, although it can be seen through the screenshots.
This is great if you want to focus on design rather than the book cover. There is a part two, where you can follow the tutorial on how to create a plain-looking drawing in Photoshop and refine it to become a book cover
Tools: Illustrator CS4
Design a dirty grunge book cover design – complete with bleeds.
What is it about?
Tutorial on a grunge book cover design with bleed
Focuses on setting up the book cover, including front, back and spine
Shows how to use texture for a book cover
How useful is it?
This tutorial is great if you want a really thorough step by step understanding of how to design every single element of a book cover.
Tools: Photoshop CS4
Designing a book cover can be a really rewarding experience for designers ready for a challenge. If you've been playing with the idea of expanding your expertise into this market, hopefully these tutorials will help ease the transition and have you designing winning covers in no time! Let us know how you go.
Want More?
DesignCrowd contests love to put a twist on iconic designs. Have a look at our earlier experiments:
8 Simple Steps to Convert Hand Drawings into Vectors
Our Top 10 Free Stock Image Sites for Designers
25 of the Best Free Fonts for Designers
Written by Divya Abe on Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Divya Abe is an expert graphic designer ready to share her knowledge with the crowd. Besides spending quality time on the internet she enjoys anything to do with cats. Get in touch via Google+.
