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What Makes a Good Book Cover Design? By Lewis Agrell The best covers are those that are the most beautiful. Billions of dollars are spent every year in advertising, fashion and manufacturing to infuse more and more beauty. Why? Because beauty attracts the eye. That's why the most beautiful models, actresses, cars, houses and boats cost the most money. Beauty is a precious, treasured commodity. Beauty has specific qualities: harmony, balance, unity, synthesis, and refinement. Designers struggle to make the colors and design elements—fonts, photos, illustrations, and other graphic elements—work in such a way that the greatest beauty is attained. Designer Attributes Why are some designers better than others? This is not a simple question to answer. Designers must be trained in the basics of graphic design, particularly color theory. The other qualities that are necessary are: Experience: it helps to have tried many different approaches to design work, and learned what does and does not work; Intelligence: reading as much as possible about the industry is very helpful, because it is important to stay current, not only with the latest design movements and techniques, but also the tools of the trade (computers and software); Worldly awareness: it helps to know what is going on in the world, because world events are often reflected in design work. Witness particularly the dynamics of the ‘60s and the ‘70s, when many social shifts occurred. Designers and illustrators exploded with new ways of working, as a reflection of the dynamism of the period; Sensitivity: A designer must be sensitive to the material with which he/she is working, as well as to the needs, desires, and expectations of the client.