It's a bit tricky to search for "book cover design book."

February 5, 2011 8:12 AM

I want my books to be judged by their covers.

I've been working on designing a few book covers recently, and I'd love to find some examples of great book cover design. Books and/or websites about cover design, recent trends in publishing, iconic covers, etc. I supposed poster design would employ similar tactics and would work as well.

Any great references out there?

posted by kidsleepy to media & arts (13 answers total)

Book Cover Archive
Gallery of Penguin Book Covers
The Book Design Review Blog (ceased new posts in 2010)
posted by dayintoday at 8:16 AM on February 5, 2011 [1 favorite]

I believe there's a guy named Chip Kidd (?) who's known for exemplary work. (This from sometimes faulty memory; no time to verify.)
posted by fivesavagepalms at 8:19 AM on February 5, 2011

You're right, fivesavagepalms.
posted by dayintoday at 8:21 AM on February 5, 2011

The Financial Times on Saturday has a great column about book covers.
posted by Ideefixe at 8:26 AM on February 5, 2011

I do have the Chip Kidd book already, and highly recommend it!
posted by kidsleepy at 8:30 AM on February 5, 2011

Link for Chip Kidd's book.
posted by kidsleepy at 8:34 AM on February 5, 2011

this is a great book of penguin covers - penguin by design
posted by Bunge at 8:48 AM on February 5, 2011

Most NYRB Classics have great covers.

So do the Routledge Classics. (These are 20th century philosophy/social science books, and the covers are usually a metaphor in some way for their contents--e.g. Wittgenstein's Tractatus = bricks, Weber's Protestant Ethic = alarm clock.)
posted by Chicken Boolean at 8:53 AM on February 5, 2011

The Caustic Cover Critic;
The Casual Optimist
The Jacket Museum
posted by ijsbrand at 9:08 AM on February 5, 2011

And maybe what to avoid:

iStockPhoto + Photoshop + Books
posted by mfoight at 9:08 AM on February 5, 2011

I also do this - it's a really fun way to practice design! And it means you start walking really slowly through bookstores.

Some of the covers on the Archive that dayintoday posted just blow my mind.
posted by you're a kitty! at 11:23 AM on February 5, 2011

Depending on your personal aesthetic, you may enjoy on Book Worship. From the about page: "For the most part, these are graphically interesting, but otherwise uncollectible, books that entered and exited bookstores quietly in the 50s, 60s, and 70s."
posted by rebekah at 2:47 PM on February 5, 2011

I only found Fixabook yesterday but it seems like an interesting blog.
posted by markpasc at 3:24 PM on February 5, 2011 [1 favorite]