COVER ARTS & DESIGN
Cover design process
(for planners, notebooks, calendars, products, comic covers, magazines, etc.)
The steps outlined below explain every stage of your cover design in the order you can expect them to occur.
Your cover design will receive as much careful attention as it needs to become the best it can be. We’ll make sure you’re completely happy with your cover before it goes to press. That’s a promise.
Step 1: Free initial consultation
Call or email us to arrange for your complimentary 30-minute consultation. We’ll discuss your cover ideas and get to know each other a bit before deciding whether to work together. There is no obligation.
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Step 2: We’ll give you a firm quote
We’ll discuss the look you want for your cover and how it can be achieved cost-effectively. Then we’ll provide you with a firm quote.
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Step 3: Getting started
When you’re ready, just send us your signed quote. We’ll also sign a simple contract stating that we agree to do the work, you agree to pay for the work, and we both agree that you’ll own the copyright to your final cover design. Send us any photos, artwork, rough sketches, or ideas you may already have for your cover design.
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Step 4: Your first rough cover designs
Within a week you’ll receive your first rough designs by email. Initially we’ll be concentrating on the front cover only, and looking for an interesting direction to follow. We’ll play with ideas, test out different images, and experiment with typefaces and colors. Once we get excited about an idea, we’ll start to focus in that direction.
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Step 5: Choosing your images
You may want to use an image you already have. We also experiment with drawings, symbols, maps and backgrounds. We’ll discuss the look you want for your cover and we’ll achieve it in the most cost-effective way possible.
Step 6: Fine-tuning your cover design
As you focus on what you like and don’t like about your cover designs, your front cover will evolve to its final version. We’ll create a back cover and spine as an extension of your front cover, then add your back cover text and barcode optional).
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Step 7: Finishing your book cover
We’ll go over each element in your final cover design carefully to double-check everything is perfect. Then we’ll send you a color proof, trimmed and folded. You’ll see exactly what your cover will look like when it’s printed, and be completely confident that it’s perfect before going to press.
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Step 8: Pre-press approval
When you’re satisfied that your cover is perfect, you’ll sign a Proof Approval checklist, confirming that we’re ready to go.