Depicting the story

Publishing art directors are on the front line of ensuring the books they design are eye catching and the right fit for readers across a whole range of publishing genres. Alix-Rose Cowie talks to three major book designers on how covers are put together, who has a say in them, the all-important brief and how they find illustrators to commission.

Book cover illustration is some hard-working art. For something we spend hours with – feeling for the last dog-eared page for a few chapters before bed, becoming so engrossed on a Saturday afternoon that the house slowly goes dark around you save for the glow from your Kindle, or finding company in the conversations of fictional characters on a daily commute – a book’s cover has only a fraction of time to call to us from the shelves (or thumbnails) of a shop. And it has a lot to say. Guided by art directors, illustrators working for publishers need to be able to create art that summarises a story into an image, fits into a genre while standing apart, represents a writer, and leaves clues for readers.   

By the time a book is released, many people with different concerns will have weighed in on the cover: from the design team to the marketing department to the author. For Art Director at Faber, Peter Adlington, the story has to be the priority. “It’s important to be true to the book,” he says. “The book’s character needs to come through; it’s all about the personality.”

When does illustration fit the brief? 

The very nature of Sci-fi and Fantasy lends itself to illustration, as an author is conjuring an entire world that doesn’t yet exist, imagining what it looks like as much as how it operates in order to write it down. Detailed visual descriptions within the genre help readers to access these otherworldly realms. 

On the other end of the spectrum, Non-Fiction writing isn’t immediately associated with illustration, except of the medical or scientific variety. In the subgenre of nature writing, however, creative illustration is leaving an impression. Working in this genre at Faber, Adlington estimates that 70% of nature books today have an illustrated cover. 

Romance novels have a lingering relationship with the steamy Fabio-style covers of the ‘80s and ‘90s, but the genre is increasingly relying on illustration to tie it to the present. According to Deputy Art Director at HarperCollins, Ellie Game, Romance covers today are largely illustrated. “I rarely use photography for romance novels at the moment,” she says. “And I think that’s really a reflection of trends in the market.”

What styles are art directors commissioning? 

“Romance geared to a younger audience, say 20-40 year-olds tends to be a flat-graphic style, bold and really colourful,” Game says. “Since the success of Emily Henry’s ‘You and Me on Vacation’, we’ve seen a rise in demand for quite cool illustrations in zingy colour palettes. For a slightly older market, illustrations tend to be a bit softer and warmer, with more detail. Often they’re depicting idyllic locations, with smaller figures. We often see this style on brand authors like Cressida McLaughlin or Sue Moorcroft.”

Woodcut illustration, or digital replicas, have found a reliable home on the covers of books about the natural world. But there’s no reason the genre should get too comfortable with this style. “I think nature writing needs a more modern audience, and so if you’re trying to hit a younger crowd, perhaps go for something which isn’t as traditional in style,” Adlington says. One way he does this is by commissioning illustrators working on the outskirts of the styles expected of the genre. “Book design is as guilty of following trends as anything else,” he says. “If you have the opportunity to do something a bit different, you should take it. It’s those covers which are a break in the norm that sometimes do really well and define the trend for the next five years.”

Does the author have a say? 

In Sci-fi and Fantasy, the book cover is an important key that can unlock the world where the story is set: a mystical forest, Earth 3000 years from now, or another galaxy. It makes sense that part of the brief comes from the chief world-builder: the author. Digital Design Manager at Macmillan, Neil Lang says, “We usually start with a description from the author of how the various elements should look, be it a spaceship, an alien creature, or cityscape.” Authors can also send images which get the ball rolling. “The cover for “The Soldier” by Sci-fi author Neal Asher was born from photographs of worms and a rubber ball, which evolved into the image of a planet!,” Lang says.

At HarperCollins, Game is commissioning a lot more character-focused illustration which does especially well for ‘BookTok’ romances. Sometimes authors send her reference images or mood boards on Pinterest for the character design. Who better to hear from than the people who know the characters best? Game translates these into tight descriptions of the characters in bullet points about their core characteristics.

The all-important Brief 

Lang frequently commissions prolific book cover illustrator and digital artist Steve Stone for Macmillan covers, most recently Neal Asher’s ‘World Walkers’. Within an established working relationship like this, it’s possible to view a job as a collaboration, brainstorming ideas together and shepherding the artwork to its final form. “With all the covers we’ve worked together on, Steve would send over a rough and there is usually a conversation as to what’s working and what doesn’t,” Lang says. “It might be the best illustration, but it has to work as a front cover, with all the relevant text being legible—not always easy when you want to show action in space.”

In publishing, creative freedom for an illustrator can be a luxury dependent on time. Busy art directors might send a brief and ask for rough visuals back in two weeks, or they could be very prescriptive with a layout that’s already been signed off in-house to make for quick approvals down the line. At Faber, Adlington tends to give illustrators space to do their own thing, but says it’s unlikely an illustrator will ever get a completely open brief to play around with, “So an art director should have a fairly clear idea of what they want an illustrator to draw,” he says, “We’re a business, and there’s pressure to get things approved and out for marketing.” That being said, he’s always open to an illustrator’s suggestions on how to make a cover better. “It’s important at the end of the process to end up with something which both of you like and feel ownership of.”  

“There are lots of stakeholders, and it can be tricky to please everyone!” Game at HarperCollins says. “The art director might want one thing, while the sales team wants it in bright green, and the author wants a dog on the cover. A good art director will navigate all that feedback and try to keep changes to a minimum, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. Working in layers (if your style allows) comes in really handy if any tweaks are needed later in the process.” While personally he loves hand drawn artwork, as an art director under deadline, Adlington also hugely appreciates commercial illustrators who work digitally and can make edits far more easily.

Where do art directors find new illustrators? 

Illustrators can have lasting relationships with publishers, especially once a visual brand has been established across an author’s books, series or collections. But art directors are almost always on the hunt for new illustrators and styles that they can file for future projects. At Faber, Adlington goes through illustration agencies, but he also has a large (and growing) secret Pinterest board where he saves every illustrator he likes the look of. Illustrators can also approach Faber through a submissions form. Adlington doesn’t have the time to reply to each email but he looks at all the work that comes in and keeps the emails on hand. “If you’ve approached me, you’ve got a better chance than if you haven’t,” he says.

“I love looking on Instagram for new artists,” Game says. “It’s a good way to discover illustrators that perhaps haven’t done much publishing work yet, which is great as it means their work is going to feel fresh and bring something new to the genre.”

Even if you haven’t booked a publishing job yet, showing your interest can get you in. “I always say do a few book covers,” Adlington says. “If you’ve done personal work and illustrated a cover for your favourite book, then I know you’ve got an interest in book design, and that you understand the proportions and scale.” Far more useful to him than showing work you’ve done for another publisher, is to show what you’d do with your own ideas.

Illustrators have much to bring to the book shelf 

Successful art directors have to know what they want out of a commission—it’s in their title. But they also get a thrill working with fellow creative people and staying open to receiving something that elevates their vision. On working with long-term collaborator Steve Stone at Macmillan, Lang says, “He has such a great imagination and talent that I know he’ll create something I might never even think of.”

Game has similar sentiments: “Working with illustrators on covers is one of the best parts of my job! I love having someone to collaborate and share ideas with. When I brief an illustration, I always have an idea of what I think it will look like, but it always turns out better than I could imagine.”

AOI Members have access to all Inside Illustration content – explore it fully now.

Other season articles:

Illustration in the physical world – Site Specific illustration

Almost anything is possible – Illustration for Children

Branding is Personal – Branding Illustration

Motion in Editorial – Editorial animation