Books

Book design wars: people really do judge a book by its cover

In the challenge to attract buyers’ attention, book publishers are investing more in higher production values and nailing their colours to the mast – literally

Lisa Coen, co-owner of Tramp Press: ‘The cover is part of the experience, and the same goes for the text on the back and the typesetting throughout.’ Picture: Bryan Meade

A trip to the bookstore these days is an assault on the senses. Bright yellow, orange, garish red – the colour spectrum on book covers has never been so exuberant. With UV gloss shine, metallic foil and embossing, they can also be extremely tactile. Judge a book by its cover? Publishers positively want you to.

Niall McCormack, a commercial artist based in Dublin who designs music packaging and books, says the staid approach that once ...