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Questions to Assist with Developing Your Logo
Things to Consider When Designing Your Book Cover
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Questions to Assist with Developing Your Logo
WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DOES YOUR BRAND STAND FOR?
1) What is your mission – why does your business exist?
2) What is your vision – what are you building?
3) Who is your target market?
4) What is the unique value that only your business brings to the marketplace?
CONCEPT
5) List out 10 words that describe your business, service or organization.
6) What are the 3 most important things you want communicated to your customers about your business through your logo?
STYLE
7) List 3 images you have envisioned for your logo? These can be symbols, typographic and/or flourishes, etc.
8) What fonts have you thought about for your logo? If you do not have a specific font name in mind that is fine; use words like bold, script, elegant or classic.
9) What are 3 logo designs of other companies that you really like?
10) What color(s)or color combinations do you feel represent your business?
11) Do you want a 2-d or a 3-d logo?
Things to Consider When Designing Your Book Cover
It’s fair to say that your book cover is the first thing that most potential customers will see. So the title in combination with your cover are such an important part of your book design process.
From my perspective as a designer, here are some important things to consider when designing your book cover.
COPYRIGHTS – Make sure that you know where images, fonts and illustrations from outside sources come from. If you are dealing with a designer with a lack of integrity, they may take a photo off the internet that you do not have a legal right to use for a commercial purpose. Or they could use a free font but it is free for personal use, so you have violated the agreement with the author.
LICENSES – When you purchase a photo or illustration there can be different license choices. (i.e. standard license, enhanced license) You want to look at the number of copies that are permitted with your license. One standard license might allow 10k while another may allow 250k. If you hire a designer, make sure they give you a copy of all the licenses.
FONTS – Sometimes fonts can really date a piece of design – really consider if the font you are choosing is a trend right now. Really think about about the message of your book and choose a type face that further communicates that message. (i.e. your book is about how to be a great public speaker – pick a font that exudes confidence, charisma, integrity and leadership) Please see how the examples below communicate differently.
How to be a Great Public Speaker How to be a Great Public Speaker How to be a Great Public Speaker
QUALITY – Please make sure you are using hi-resolution photos. 200 dpi(dots per inch) and above. Do not settle for bitmapped images they will cheapen your cover. Please, do not keep a white box around images.
BUDGET – To keep your costs down, do your due diligence. The clearer an author is with what their cover design is, the quicker the process. If you already know what images and fonts you want, production will go very fast.
PATIENCE – If you want an image of a winged white horse with an olive branch in it’s mouth dancing on a rainbow while flying over a city, that’s fine. But that is a very specific image that is going to have to be built and will take hours for a designer to create.
RESOURCES – photos and illustrations: lightstock.com, shutterstock.com, dreamstime.com, canstockphoto.com
fonts: dafont.com, veer.com, fontsquirrel.com