Category: ebook cover design

“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…

A somewhat bland webpage: BEFORE screen 8K page weight. You may say, “Fast. Yes. But it’s pretty boring.” It’s DELIBERATELY boring. But there is no waiting. NOTE: The background color is not “black” but #333333, a very dark gray. Using black on screen produces a color that isn’t naturally seen in nature. It can appear…

Try publishing a “product or service positioning statement” on the cover with minimum decoration. The user wants to know immediately what the point is of your ebook. “What’s in it for me?” “Why should I care?” There must be instant recognition, simplicity, and clarity of why to read or explore. Most book covers have too…

Theming is orchestrating color combinations, type selection, symbols, etc) but I learned something new about “proportioned palettes”. A new perspective on color. The author of Handout (PDF) demonstrates his method for developing a consistent and large color palette for branding. Great stuff. I can also vouch his basis of predicting “future color trends” really works.…

The world of type is huge. From my studies, most professional designers have their favorites. And it is not necessarily a large library. I’m a font collector and have far more than I need. Eventually, you find classics that you love. This takes time and also studying the work of others. So there isn’t necessarily…

Here’s a trick to see faults in a design. Check the grayscale conversion. All touching colors should have a 30-percent differential – especially for text. If something can’t be read in grayscale (no color cues) adjustments need to be made. There are various ways to convert to grayscale. In this case, I used GIMP (for…