Umberto Eco Book Cover Designs Grab Attention on a Meta-Level
People only pay attention to book covers if it has something to offer to them. With many people who prefer reading on their smartphones, tablets and Kindles, publishers must create unique book cover designs that entice readers to pick the book up the moment they see it on display in their favorite bookstores.
Umberto Eco has published excellent books that have earned love and attention. Still, this gorgeous book cover has set things to a different level, thanks to designer Kaan Tanhan.
Many graphic design agencies can get inspired by this Umberto Eco's book design, for it has not only fascinated book lovers with its ingeniously creative design but also made the book look like an artwork worthy of display.
People might think that book covers are optional. Still, this specific example proves that the book cover is as important as the other parts of the book in terms of evoking emotions from people. (Browse exceptional book covers here).
The Cutout Details From the Umberto Eco Book Design Offers Layers of Character
One of the most notable things from this book design is the strategically placed cutouts on the dust jacket sleeve of the book. The actual book has a paperback cover already with the title and all the other information. Still, the jacket sleeve just took things up a notch.
The cutouts on the Umberto Eco book design are strategically positioned to avoid revealing too much but still show all the essential things readers need to know about the book - a smart move to get people curious!
It also adds a layer of mystery because the cutouts are suitable for the paperback design featuring swirling circles composed of dashes and hyphens.
It makes you curious about the book because you're just seeing a couple of relevant pieces of information.
In marketing, even though the books do not have packaging compared to other items sold, their book covers serve the same purpose: to entice and spark customer interest.
Overall, this design clicked among customers. Definitely one for the books!
The Agency Executes a Cohesive Book Cover by Marrying Various Design Elements
In addition to the ridiculously creative jacket sleeve design, the Umberto Eco book cover design also involves the paperback cover, where the book's title and the authors are printed along with the blurb and other essential details.
What makes this paperback design even more compelling aside from its creative typography is the design in itself. It did not overwhelm the overall aesthetic or make it feel bland to look at.
Kaan Tanhan could have gone heavy in designing the paperback cover to compensate for the quirky jacket sleeve to add more character. Still, the straightforward approach he took with this design is commendable.
He has shown that balancing various design elements are essential in making the whole design concept work, especially in execution.
The Use of Black and White as the Dominant Color Story Complements the Book Cover Design
Another thing that people might notice in this Umberto Eco book cover design is the use of only two colors: black and white.
For some people, it might look bland if the book cover has no other colors than black, grey or white. For them, colors bring out the layers of character that the book has to entice the readers.
However, for this design, the designer has emphasized that the cutout details and the paper book cover design are already enough to pique the readers’ interest. Adding colors other than black and white might create an imbalance in the design elements.
Sometimes, it is okay not to use too many colors because, at the end of the day, using the right color combinations will make every design pop out and bring it to life.
Book Covers and Effective Marketing: The Importance of Having Eye-Catching Covers
As mentioned earlier, books are more complicated to market compared to other items like food and cosmetics because they do not have the standard packaging design that these products have.
Thus, it is up to the book publishers to make the books fly off the shelves not only because of how good and entertaining the book content is. They must rely on making the book cover as engaging and eye-catching as possible, which Kaan Tanhan, one of the best print designers today, has done so excellently!
This Umberto Eco book cover has ticked all the boxes, not only because of its unique jacket sleeve design that makes you stop and stare but also because of the unified elements in the jacket sleeve and the paperback cover.
With this quirky-looking book cover design, everyone will look at the readers who own a copy wherever they place it: whether in their libraries or with them when they read it in public or otherwise.
