Julia

I’m 23 years old, live in Ukraine, and have a bachelor’s degree in International Economics.

I work as a Business Development Manager at MiblArt book cover design company. My role involves close interactions with co-founders, marketing, designers, creative directors, and new clients and partners in the self-publishing industry.

Tell us about your company.

MiblArt is a Ukraine-based company founded in 2015. We are a team of cover artists, client success managers, marketing specialists, content writers, and business development managers.

We have built an effective process with a clear division of responsibilities that ensures quick delivery and high quality. We always learn and work to improve our skills and customer experience. Our goal is to give the best value for the price and make professional cover design affordable and accessible for the authors.

What inspired you to work in the design field.

I never thought I would work in the cover design field. The author community has such an interesting connection to the design business that I didn’t know existed. Luckily, I discovered MiblArt and learned that work could be a pleasure and a fascinating adventure.

Now, I communicate with many talented authors and designers, enjoy great art, and share it with the world. I’ve learned so much about book cover design and what makes it stand out. The trends are changing, so it never gets boring, which is a beautiful thing in this field.

What would you say is the best design element in book cover designs.

I’d say the cover design idea and its implementation defines the success of the book cover. Colors, composition, typography — they all need to work to catch the readers’ attention. However, different covers have unique elements that make the biggest impact. In some designs, typography plays the biggest role; in others, it’s a character, an object, or a unique scene.

 How long does it take for MiblArt designers to create a book cover?

Our designers spend up to 5 days on the cover, including idea generation, brainstorming with the creative director, implementation, and requested revisions. However, the designers work on many projects simultaneously, so it’s hard to define how many hours they spend on a single cover.

Which genre is the toughest to design for.

I wouldn’t say it’s a genre that makes the design process challenging. It’s the concept. Some concepts are simple, and some are complex — they require combining many pictures, which takes lots of Photoshop work.

Usually, our designers use 10 to 20 licensed pictures plus textures to create a unique cover design. It’s also a matter of preference. For example, if the designer loves creating fantasy covers, horror designs can take more time.

How many book covers has the MiblArt team designed?

We have designed over 5000 covers for the authors since the company was founded.

Do the designers have a specific genre that is their favorite?

They have several favorite genres. And our managers make sure each designer gets the projects they’ll enjoy.

 Are there specific fonts for each genre?

 Yes. Different fonts work better with different genres and imagery. A wrong font will stick out like a sore thumb and ruin the cover’s atmosphere. For example, you don’t want a lush cursive font on a hard sci-fi book or a bold angular one on the epic fantasy cover.

 Here are a few safe font choices for different genres:

Fantasy: Yana, Artisan, Blackletter.

Science fiction: Orbitron, Akashi, Cosmic Warm Recharge.

Romance: Cassandra, Vegan Style, Countryside.

Mystery & Thriller: Gotham, Helvetica, Bebas Neue.

Horror: In the Woods, Scream Real, Feral, Ravenscroft.

Nonfiction: Gotham, Hoefler, Helvetica, Trajan Pro

If you had to pick one, what would be the one thing that makes a cover stand out?

 You’ve probably heard different answers to this question, including typography, colors, focus point. And they all are true. But if I needed to pick a single one, I’d say it’s a contrast. There are different ways to create a contrast — with text, characters, colors, scenery, etc. And you need to pick the right one depending on your cover concept. 

 Today, even small cover thumbnails need to catch a reader’s attention when most books are sold online. I think that contrast is the first thing the reader will notice in the cover design. So, no matter whether your cover is character-based or typography-based, the proper contrast will help ensure that the cover stands out. 

What advice would you give anyone trying to break into the field of book cover designing.

I’d recommend

 ? Observing the market and its trends to stay relevant.

? Learning your client’s audience and the genre you want to work with.

? Working hard on the skills and techniques to improve the quality of your covers.

Always give more than your clients expect and keep in touch with them. And remember: you’re only one part of the authors’ publishing journey. You should understand the ultimate goal of your clients to help them and play your role well.

Follow Julia & MIBLART:

Website: https://miblart.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RozdobudkoJulia/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julia_rozdobudko/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-rozdobudko-7b5388192/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Julia19394315