With the rise in e-readers, book jacket design is rumored to become a lost art. We don’t think so, but the game is certainly changing. Cool cover art still exists, but as the 25 best book jackets of 2012 show, they’re trending toward bold simplicity, with high-contrast colors and giant, graphic font.
For more of our Best of 2012, check out our Top 50 Books of 2012.
See the best book jackets of 2011.
See the best book jackets of 2010.
Or simply browse all of The Book Case’s Best of 2012 coverage.
ETA: some readers have asked about designer info; when available, it is displayed as you hover over the image. Designers, if your jacket appears here and is not credited, please leave a comment and let us know! If you love cover design, don’t miss the excellent blog Talking Covers.
What were your favorite book jackets of 2012?
I think Beautiful Ruins’ book jacket is my favorite.
I can’t choose just one. However, I like the “Gone girl” cover the least, for some reason.
Those are beautiful, but I love love love how a book looks old fashioned when you remove the dust jacket and have that beautiful hardcover open to view!
Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) was just talking about this on NPR, and how his new book has a secret etching on the hardcover underneath the jacket.
This is a great selection! Do you list the designers anywhere? As this is a listing of the best book jackets, and not the best books, of 2012, it would be thorough to credit – and thereby celebrate – the design professionals who created them. (If it were the “best books,” you would list the authors, no?) Many hands go into building an object such as a book, and these jacket designers are clearly top notch. Their creativity plays a major part in how people judge these books on the shelves and how they sell. Sure, they’re working for a client, but considering the context, those who appreciate design want to know who’s responsible!
Dayna, we agree that crediting designers is important. Unfortunately as a general rule this is not information that publishers share with us. It’s difficult to find without the book in hand (and sometimes, even with the book in hand!). When available, it’s listed when you hover over the jacket.
I’m a big fan of the Flame Alphabet, but also of the cover of The Heart Broke In, by James Meek http://amzn.com/0374168717
I’m afraid I’m going to have to disagree with you about Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. The book itself is lovely, but the cover is terrible. If I had happened onto it in a bookstore rather than looking at it based on a recommendation from a friend, I wouldn’t have given it a second glance. It really is a truly dreadful design.
Your site says that if you hover your mouse over the image of the jacket, the designer’s name will appear, but only four names show up. Is that because you don’t know the names of the other designers?
“they’re trending toward bold simplicity, with high-contrast colors and giant, graphic font.”
The writing (above) and lack of research/credits really let this down – I agree its a beautiful selection, what a shame the same level of care didn’t go into the post.
Things don’t ‘trend toward’ anything.
High-contrast colours are not a trend.
‘Giant, graphic font’ doesn’t make sense… Do you mean titles?
The credit for YES, CHEF goes to the amazing Chelsea Cardinal. You can see more of her work here: http://www.chelseacardinal.com/index.html#
Thanks, Kaela!
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My favorite cover of the year was Jurgen Fauth’s Kino, published by Atticus Press. Not just the cover – though the cover is amazing. It was one of the most overlooked novel of 2012. Designed by Jamie Keenan.
http://atticusbooksonline.com/books/kino/
“Best?” Whenever I handled these books in the bookstore I worked in for most of this year, I was thinking the other extreme. It must have some effect on people, but I think the current simplistic style of book cover art often errs toward looking too plain and “hipster”-esque–a sort of “too cool for effort” look. I’m not saying some of the overcomplicated high fantasy book covers you see out there are preferable, but most of these seem to strive too hard to be visually striking and come off looking uninspired instead (although, they’re leagues better than anything most people could pull off, and I’m sure a lot of work went into them). I’d say “Tell the Wolves I’m Home” is the best of this lot, a nice compromise between being eye-catching and being substantive.
Okay, maybe that was a bit extreme. But I’m out of coffee right now, and wanted to make a grumpy and mostly untrue comment about these poor designers’ work.
Hi,
Just wanted to credit that Tigers in Red Weather was designed by Lindsey Andrews.
Thanks!
Dare Me was done by Jason Gabbert
Thanks, Lindsey!
The cover for Tell the Wolves I’m Home was done by Hugh D’Andrade.
Thanks, Nina!
My mistake! Hugh posted it on FB so I assumed he had done it, but he says it’s not his cover. Many apologies!
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