Book Covers - Front of Novel Design

You can learn a lot about what's between the front and back cover of a novel based simply on what you see the moment you pick up a book. This is a big part of the novel reading experience - or any book really - your first impressions. An exciting cover can get you all jazzed up about what may happen inside. An intriguing cover - something that, on first glance, doesn't make a lot of sense - may make you curious about what mysteries lie in wait. A splash of colour - or maybe a lack of colour (grimy, grey, grim = darker or sinister themes?) says a lot about what may follow... maybe even the characters, whose moods are reflected in the design visuals.

I've always been interested in the meanings behind symbols - I like to try and work out what things mean, even when I have little or nothing to go by... it's like the author / publisher is setting up a challenge for me. I take it as a challenge, a mystrery that I'm keen to solve. I guess it's just another component that's build in to the reading experience - you make of it what you make of it! Everyone's different.

Have you ever noticed that you only ever seem to see character 'silhouettes' on the front cover of a novel? You never see the real face of a person, or the character(s) from the story. I think there's a reason behind this. I'd like to hear what you guys think. In fact, share with the group your own thoughts based on some of the things you've come across from my posts.

On my reading blog, I have installed some images down the right-hand side. These are the front cover designs of the last 8-9 novels I've read. Some you may have seen, some you'll have heard about perhaps. What do you think of the cover art? What can you interpret the story to be about (or what the characters are like) based on what you see of the design? Add your thoughts. Make sure you add novel cover images to your reading blog too! I want to see plenty of visuals!