Wednesday 10 April 2013

Aspects To Seek In A Freelance Book Designer

By Alba Durham


People may say that you can't judge a book's contents by its cover but the majority do so anyway. Covers have a dramatic impact on profitability, and a freelance book designer needs to achieve a design that demonstrates a book's contents tastefully. The spine, interior pages and back cover cannot be ignored, and need to achieve a uniform style that is echoed by all other areas of the cover. The new media available have extended the requirements of professionals, who now have to create layouts for many different platforms.

Many writers underestimate the time, effort and thought involved in generating a successful layout of the text inside books. One formatting task takes an enormous amount of time, so designing one for every platform can be expensive. Publishers often prefer to have a layout that is easily adaptive to e-books, PDF documents and print.

It's important that cover styles be unique. Designs need to give readers an idea of what is contained in the pages. Fiction and nonfiction genres come with their own, constantly adapting trends. Stylistic needs differ according to genre. Typography is a central part of layout, and some core fonts are most favored by designers because they are readable and tasteful. Whilst it is a welcome luxury to be able to have typography specially designed, it is seldom necessary and usually costly.

Every product in the commercial sector needs to be branded well. Books require a specific type of branding to place them in their own niche in the market. The target demographic needs to be considered before branding begins. When designers have a clear picture of their market, they are better able to appeal to it.

The new media available today have allowed illustrators to achieve more interesting visual effects than they could using traditional media, but such software comes with its own challenges. Software, when used well, can achieve the kind of look that truly impacts on consumers. This does not mean that readers prefer the slick effects graphic software can achieve. In fact, grittier designs tend to attract more attention in many cases, and professionals who combine traditional media with software are often better able to offer unusual styles.

Since the internet created the potential to hire online, employing contractors has become intimidating. The sheer number of contractors available through online platforms creates a challenge, but it also lets publishers choose from a broader talent base. They now have access to offshore workers.

Less skilled designers often make the mistake of exploiting their graphics software too much. By making use of every tool at their disposal, they tend to create a cover that is too busy and has no focal point. Talented professionals who focus on design instead of tools can often achieve a more startling and attractive result through simple, strong designs.

The fact that fewer designers are using traditional media adds impact to work achieved using watercolors, oils and charcoal. Covers designed using traditional media stand out from the many graphic designs on offer today. A freelance book designer who is well acquainted with many different media usually has a better command of his industry.




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