Makeovers

BEFORE:

This cover demonstrates many of the weakness often found on self or amateur designed book covers. While the stock images are lovely, their placement is awkward, making the man look much smaller than the woman. Also there is a subtle lighting difference between the two models. Finally you can see several small flaws in the images where the background has not been properly removed.

The main problem with this cover, however, is the title treatment. The font choices are poor, the effects on the fonts are inconsistant, and the colors make it difficult to read one component.

AFTER (basic makeover $49):

While the image remains exactly the same, the new fonts and title treatment give this cover a much more professional appearance. The selection of fonts is more up to date and the layering effect give an interesting depth to the cover. The size of the different title components are carefully thought out, lending balance to the whole cover.

In addition, the series name has been done in a premium font, which will brand the series nicely. The series title and the general title layout can be used in subsequent books in this series or for other books by this author.

AFTER (premium makeover $99)

With this cover, we have started from scratch with the raw images. The backgrounds have been properly removed, and the lighting and color adjusted to match. Notice that the man has been positioned in such a way to add perspective to the image. He has also been slightly blurred.

We have chosen a different color for this cover, which is both more up to date and muted, drawing attention to the images and titles. The overall effect is attractive and professional, making this cover appeal to readers and reflect the quality of the book behind it.

(cover images courtesy of Jason Baca and Faestock)