Over the past two years, people have had to adjust how they spend their time. Not surprisingly, books have continued to be a popular source of inspiration and relaxation.
Books are more popular than ever, which makes 2022 an exciting year to be an author.
- Sales of print books increased 8.9% in 2021 in the U.S.
- More than one out of every six books sold in the U.S. in 2021 were eBooks.
- The UK saw the highest sales in a decade, and other countries set record book sales in 2021.
But, because so many books are published every year, it’s become more challenging for an author to stand out with their book. This is especially true if you’re publishing your book yourself or working with a self-publishing platform.
One way to stand out is with a great book cover design.
Your book’s cover is the face of your book and can help you sell more books. But to be effective, your book cover must be well-designed and memorable.
Let’s look at the most popular book cover design trends for 2022.
10 top book cover design trends for 2022:
1. Bold maximalism
Most people are attracted to bright and colorful imagery. Product packaging, advertisements, and book covers often take advantage of this psychological trait.
You can attract attention to your book by incorporating bold maximalism in your book cover design. You can do this by including, among other things: bold graphics, loud and contrasting colors, attractive fonts, eye-catching illustrations, and more.
Readers are more likely to check out your book if the cover is eye-catching or unique, especially if the design makes them think or leaves a strong impression.
When working with a book cover designer, feel free to be as creative as possible in designing a cover that pops from the shelves or on an eCommerce page. But remember that no matter how wild or bold, your book cover design should always reflect your book’s story.
2. Illustrated covers
One of the best ways to portray your book’s story is to illustrate the story on the cover.
Illustrations have been popular in book cover design for decades. And there’s a reason for their popularity. Illustrations are versatile, flexible, capture the story, and portray a style that complements the book.
You can choose a single illustration on your book cover or have multiple smaller illustrations that work together to tell the story.
Illustrations can showcase originality better than photographs or other types of images. Often, this is because illustrations are custom and more suited to the book’s story. Photos have their place but are often improperly used on book covers.
In 2022, we expect modern classical designs like minimalism, maximalism, contemporary or modern aesthetics, and other styles to incorporate illustration as a way that connects the story and the author’s style.
3. Edgy and futuristic
People are increasingly fascinated by futuristic and edgy designs. They can have a luxurious and modern look that leaves a lasting impression.
We see edgy and futuristic designs across many different design styles in all mediums. For example, we see futuristic designs on websites, mobile apps, and popular social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Sharp lines, abstract images, twisted patterns, dark colors, bold features, and singular designs have continued to increase in popularity.
You can take advantage of this trend with a modern and sharp-looking book cover design.
4. Minimalist covers
Most people long for something simple and reliable in a perpetually busy world. This is why minimalism will never go out of style in design – it’s simple, classy, and timeless.
We see minimalistic designs everywhere, including in advertisements, websites, product packaging, interior designs, and more.
A minimalist book cover might be a great option when busy designs and bold colors don’t reflect you or your book.
Although some people think that a book will always stand out with bold designs, the opposite is often true. Sometimes, the most uncomplicated and minimal design catches our eye in a sea of noisy book covers. This is the core reason why minimalist covers continue to be popular.
If following this trend, be sure to include clear and readable fonts, monotone or simple complementary colors, and plenty of white space. These proven design combinations for the classic minimalist look will never go out of style.
5. Grids or patterns
Grids or patterns create a sense of harmony and rhythm with their repetitive art style. They take care of inefficient white space by giving you a solid and fun background. And often, this style is less expensive to create than more complex book cover design styles.
Designs based on grids or patterns also help your title stand out. They’re inherently colorful, fun, and engaging.
But be careful. Fonts and grids or patterns must complement each other. If you lean towards bolder patterns, choose an equally bold font for your book’s title to be sure the title is visible and readable. Balance is vital in this design.
Importantly, this trend offers lots of flexibility. You can use bold patterns or subtle and muted grids for your book cover – both styles can be effective.
6. Contrasts and textures
Contrasts and textures are fundamental in design across all mediums. For example, they’re rapidly becoming popular in street fashion with Gen-Z and Millennials. We see heavy use of contrasts and textures printed on t-shirts, hoodies, crewnecks, caps, pants, and more.
And they’re popular in prints and paintings.
Contrasts and textures are popular because they are fun and create a vibe that makes people linger and think.
This style works well for book covers. Some authors want their prospective readers to wonder about the book, and this popular design trend represents new and modern like no other.
When using contrasts and textures in designing your book cover, take advantage of bold contrasts between two colors that usually clash. For example, create a contrast between red and blue by incorporating textures.
Using contrasting colors or textures in your book cover’s design will not only add a pop of colors and life to your book but also will give it extra personality.
7. Explicit typography
Other designs such as illustrations or artworks are great for catching attention or creating excitement on your book cover.
But sometimes, nothing beats a clean and powerful book title.
Say it loud and proud – make your book speak for itself.
Bold and easy-to-read typography will always be a popular book cover design trend. The reason is understandable and straightforward: the more prominent and clearer the words are to read, the easier they are to understand.
And because more people buy books online on sites like Amazon and Barnes and Noble, your book cover thumbnail is more important than ever. Because thumbnails are small, those with clear and prominent titles tend to stand out more.
Help your book tell its story with a clear and easy-to-read title.
8. Innovative photography
Photographs have an innate power to tell a story. They catch attention and make people think.
This is because the human brain processes photos and images 60,000 times faster than words.
Photography on book covers is always a popular trend, especially for non-fiction books, and it will continue to be a popular book cover design trend this year.
Most people have spent the last few years inside and miss nature. As a result, in 2022, we expect photos to trend more towards nature, including images of leaves, oceans, mountains, and the outdoors. Such photos will complement natural colors like browns, blues, greens, and nudes.
If you use photography on your book’s cover, be sure it’s high-resolution, sharp, and crisp. And be sure the photos help to tell your book’s story.
9. Landscape Styles
We’re used to vertical book cover designs. Most book covers follow this style.
Often, people will take an extra look to examine your book because it looks so different from other books. But you can draw more attention to your cover by trying a unique style: landscape form for your book’s cover. This style is simple and yet refreshing to the eyes.
You can combine this style with bold and easy-to-read typography for your title. And the landscape style complements minimalism as well.
Surprisingly, landscape designs are super flexible. You can also go wild and experimental with bold colors and loud designs in a landscape format.
Add a unique kick of personality to your book cover’s design using the landscape format.
10. Silhouettes
Nothing speaks of natural mystery more than silhouettes. This absolute jewel in design will always be in style because of its innate characteristic.
Silhouettes have always been the star of modern and chic design. They are perfect for adding an extra bit of personality to your book.
Silhouettes are not only mysterious but are also fun. For example, you can hide a clue about your book’s plot through a silhouette on your book cover.
Is the main character of your story the figure on the book cover? Or does the cover show the villain?
Silhouettes can raise powerful questions, and this added mystery may cause more people to take a closer look at your book.
Silhouettes are also minimalistic, which allows you to declutter your book cover design to emphasize the title and the silhouette.
Leave people guessing with this chic and modern style of design.
2022 book cover design trends
Every year brings a new set of book cover design trends. Not all trends are appropriate for all books. Your book cover design should be as unique as the story your book tells. And, importantly, never forget when looking at 2022 book cover design trends that your book cover is like gift wrapping. It should be attractive and draw attention, but people ultimately value what’s on the inside more.
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