Judge a Book by its Cover — Donna Hopkins

Here we go again. This week’s post from Process ¤ On Photography, by Wesley Verhoeve is all about the photo book cover.

Before you think about what your cover should look like, write down three adjectives for how you want someone to feel when they pick your book or zine up for the first time.

My three words:

awed, filled with wonder
curious, noticing that there is something worth looking at again
reassured and uplifted

I use MILK Books (Moments of Inspiration, Love and Kindness) to design and print my photo books. The books are expensive, but the quality is extraordinary, and worth the price. The MILK aesthetic is elegant and simple. Sometimes, I am frustrated by the constraints imposed by the design principles, but they are in place to ensure that customers will create beautiful projects, even if they do not have experience in book making. I’ve been playing around with covers. Sharing some options here.

Books are strange, wonderful objects to make. They take forever, and then all at once they exist. —Wesley Verhoeve