Cover Tutorials

11 Tips From @jakepatt

TIPS

#1 - Keep colour schemes simple and organised

#2 - Try to stay away from colour themes with opposite colours. Red and greens can be okay and so can blue and orange and yellow and purple, but maybe red and blue will be better, or green and yellow or purple and gold. 

#3 - Keep fonts simple and legible

#4 - Lock proportions on the model (don't make them weirdly tall and skinny or short and wide [hold down the shift key in photoshop when you transforming the image])

#5 - Try to stay away from a very cursive, thin font and instead use a bold font that stands out

#6 - Never look at another person's cover and "get an idea" from it. Chances are you're just going to copy it.

#7 - Don't crowd a cover with either stock, textures, models or text. Most of the time, simpler is better.

#8 - Add some dynamics to your cover. Don't just keep everything boring and static. Maybe if it's a fantasy cover, have the model's dress be billowing out in the wind or her hair flying everywhere.

#9 - Monochrome covers typically don't look the best. Try to add a spark of colour to them. If you have a very blue cover, maybe some flecks of orange or red will help add some warmth and contrast and make the cover look more interesting.

#10 - Don't use too many PSDs or filters. It will just make your cover look oversaturated and weird.

#11 - Don't be scared to experiment with different styles of cover. Maybe try typography or model-based or object-based or something completely different.