Plan your layout

Published 20 September 2023 in Plan your layout

Today we explore the second step in designing your own book cover. 

2.    PLAN YOUR LAYOUT

Before diving into the details of typography and graphics for designing book covers, it’s important to understand what forms the foundation of a great book cover design.

A layout is like a blueprint for a book cover, so investing time and effort into planning the layout and design can make a significant difference in attracting readers to your book.

The Rule of Thirds: is a fundamental principal in design and photography that can also be applied effectively in book cover design. It helps create visually balanced and engaging compositions. It is when key elements or objects (such as horizon lines) cross the page at a division of thirds, rather than in half, the image is more appealing.

Have you ever noticed that photographs look better when the horizon line crosses the page at the upper or lower third rather than straight through the middle?

By using the Rule of Thirds as the basis of your layouts, you can design visually appealing book covers.                                                                                                  

Start with a blank page and divide it into thirds horizontally, then again vertically to create a nine-box grid. The lines and intersections will serve as guides for placing key text and graphics.

The Rule of Thirds is embraced by novice and experienced designers alike. Its applications can be found in paintings, drawings, posters, photographs, and logos. It enhances almost any kind of design.

Consider the Rule of Thirds in all of your layouts.

Triangle Layout: Once you’ve mastered the Rule of Thirds for your book covers, another composition tool is the triangle layout. Triangles offer a creative solution to graphics and text placement while creating movement and complexity. Triangles can create symmetry and balance or they can be used to make a book cover more dynamic.

Once you have planned your layout you can move onto the next step which is size and format, which we will discus in the next post.