Judging books by their covers… December 2023

Book and magazine cover designs are an essential aspect of the publishing industry. They are usually the first thing that catches a reader's eye, and often, can make or break a book's success. A great cover design not only reflects the content of the book or magazine but also appeals to the target audience.

Thankfully, it’s becoming easier to find out who designed or illustrated the covers I feature. However, it’s easy to jump down the rabbit hole of one designer’s portfolio. As you will notice this month I’ve featured a few covers from a small selection of designers.

Have you seen any covers recently that have inspired you?

This month’s list includes

This month’s list includes

What It Feels Like For A Girl, Paris Lees. Cover design by Tom Etherington

What If We Stopped Pretending, Jonathan Franzen. Cover design by Ellie Game

The Trust Manifesto: What you Need to do to Create a Better Internet, Damian Bradfield. Cover design by Luke Bird

Swing in the House and Other Stories, Anita Anand. Cover design David Drummond

Sex & Death: Stories, Sarah Hall. Cover design by Luke Bird

The Secret Life, Andrew O’Hagen. Cover design by Luke Bird

The Prettiest Star, Carter Sickels. Cover design by Luke Bird

Live! Why We Go Out, Robert Elms. Cover design by Luke Bird

Inside the Critics’ Circle, Phillipa K. Chong. Cover design Chris Ferrante

Cabin, Will Jones. Cover design by Tom Etherington Illustration by Sarah Obtinalla

Bishops and Bodies, Lori Freedman. Cover design David Drummond

Some Unfinished Chaos, Arthur Krystal. Cover design David Drummond

To read my thoughts on books I have read, head over to my Reading List.

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Latest thoughts

Judging books by their covers… January 2025

It’s been a while since I compiled a selection of publication covers that caught my eye. Now that we’re into 2025, I feel that it might be a good time to restart the habit. My love for cover designs goes back to my college days and years in publishing. I haven’t designed a commercial publication cover for quite a while, and I’d like to change that this year.

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