Author: steve

Here are some of the important questions you need to ask to your client before getting started. What kind of book cover do you need?Double-check that your client is looking for an eBook cover and not a printed book cover. What is your eBook’s genre?Like it or not, readers will judge an eBook by its…

Covers & Sales A couple of years ago, Martin Lake’s book sales were dismal. As a self-published author, he was selling just 15 books per month. Sound familiar? Well, Martin didn’t just accept those sales and move on. He changed his book cover design for the first book in his three-part series…and his sales of…

Print book cover design and ebook cover design have subtle differences. An ebook has only the front, while the print cover consists of three elements. They include the front, the back, and the spine. No spine and no back When you choose ebook design, you don’t have to think about typography on the spine. Moreover,…

Endorsements, call-outs, and subtitles are now in ebook metadata. This is because: An ideal ebook cover will differ from its print counterpart. What not to do Take a look at the email sent to 7 million book lovers. The thumbnail cover images do the promotional work. These covers missed a great selling opportunity. You can’t tell…

PDF download links need “editorialization.” This is good web etiquette. Dropping users into a download without warning or cuing is bad UX. It can lock up their browser. Very irritating. PDFs can easily be reduced with a freeware PDF optimizer to a tenth that file size. This is bandwidth politeness most developers don’t do for…

“Definition” bubbles should be “Flush left, ragged right with a hanging bullet” –and not centered. Centered text is most appropriate on invitations and wedding announcements. Centered justification is hard to read and I should explain why. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justification_%28typesetting%29 The link above is pretty good. But left off one detail: In English-speaking countries and countries using Latin…

The foundation of your brand is your logo. Your website, packaging and promotional materials – all of which should integrate your logo – communicate your brand. – REFERENCE: https://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/branding Barf! Megabarf! Your brand is not your logo. Branding is about positioning strategy. The shortcut to buyers motive. What you name your product is always more…

I’ve been an advocate of author Marty Neumeier’s thinking – but his day in the sun has probably past, I think. You can read about him here. And one of his books I’m going to quote from at slideshare. As with all author’s, I do NOT agree with everything he says. But I’m still a…

I’ve solved the wild color differences between screen and print by teaching the client that reflective color (print) and emissive colors (screen) are never going to appear the same. If they do, it’s an accident or illusion. Pantone swatches are supposed to show the “Real McCoy” but even ink mixing can be botched. Drying time,…

Theming is the “the use of an overarching theme, such as western, to create a holistic and integrated spatial organization of a consumer venue.” Themes are usually derived from history, or other cultures, but can also be based on fantasy. Theming can vary in intensity from just interior design, to whole architecture  based on the…