Why Every Author Needs to Hire a Graphic Designer

by Daniel Lamparelli

Every author wants to be a best seller.  What most of them don't realize is the two things that separate bestselling authors from the rest of the pack isn't just prose, it's also presentation.  That's because many bestselling authors have the backing of publishing houses that employ an army of editors, designers and publicists who are there to position and promote client books.  This process begins with cover art designed by a professional graphic designer.  

You Can Judge a Book by its Cover

Image courtesy of GoodBooks.Online

Face it, the first contact the public has with a book is its cover. What most people fail to realize is that everything from the color scheme to the graphical content of a book cover is thought out well in advance.  In fact, it is a science that has been honed over hundreds of years.  To you, the color blue might come to represent the sky or the sea, but the psychology of color tells me that it represents trust, honesty and loyalty.  Red is associated with danger, desire and power.  Purple is associated with royalty, luxury and ambition. 

Unfortunately, many authors fail to understand the major impact that hiring a graphic designer can have on book sales. Looking to cut costs, they may  think that using stock images and free online book cover software will get the job done. It's only after the fact that they start wondering why sales of their book are lackluster, failing to connect cause and effect.

What is a Graphic Designer?

A graphic designer is a trained professional who understands the nuances associated with assembling images, typography, and color in order to maximize the aesthetic appeal of a book. A designer can make your brand stand out in a crowded market, make it appear more professional, and open your books to entirely new audiences.  Graphic designers are often mistakenly thought of as artists, which makes business owners and authors alike wonder what an artist could possibly add to their skillset. But the purpose of a graphic designer is completely different to that of an artist. Where a fine artist creates work that is left to the viewer to interpret, a graphic designer’s work should require no explanation at all.  Graphic designers are some of the best communicators in the world, and if people are interpreting their message in a way that is not intended, the graphic designer is not doing the job properly.

What can a Graphic Designer Do for Your Business?

Not every business needs to stand out to succeed. A locksmith in a small community, for example, will gain enough trade from being the sole proponent of a vital service. For businesses with more competition, however, high quality branding is vital.  The publishing industry is one of the most competitive in the world.  Just like Nike and Disney, a brand is how your customers perceive you.
If you're an author, then your books will become your brand.  Unless you only intend on writing one book, you want your readers to be able to identify you from thousands of other authors vying to get their attention.

In business, a brand is made up from common elements such as the way the phone is answered, to  customer service policy, to the company's name.  A professional graphic designer is able to expertly manipulate these elements to ensure that every customer perceives a client in the best possible light. A strong brand is memorable. It builds trust and encourages positive referrals from customers. A weak brand is instantly forgettable.


Everyone knows that FedEx is synonymous with overnight delivery.  But did you ever take a close look at the FedEx logo?  Did you realize there is an arrow embedded between the E and the x.  That logo was the brainchild of Lindon Leader, senior design director in the San Francisco office of Landor Associates. In a quote from a blog entitled, "The Story behind the Famous FedEx Logo, And Why it Works:"

"Back then, the company was still officially Federal Express," he recalls. "The logo was a purple and orange wordmark that simply spelled out the name.  Although there was enormous cachet around the term, a global research study revealed that customers were unaware of Federal Express’ global scope and full-service logistics capabilities.

"People thought they shipped only overnight and only within the U.S.," Lindon explains. "So the goal was to communicate the breadth of its services and to leverage one of its most valuable assets—the FedEx brand." Lindon remembers that FedEx’s CEO, Fred Smith, placed high value on design and had an intuitive marketing sense: "Any designer worth a lick will tell you great clients make for great design. He said okay to a brand name change and authorized a new graphic treatment. He said do whatever we wanted, under two conditions. One was that whatever we did, we had to justify it: ‘You can make them pink and green for all I care; just give me a good reason why,’ he said. The second one was about visibility. ‘My trucks are moving billboards,’ he said. ‘I better be able to see a FedEx truck loud and clear from five blocks away.’ That was it! So off we went."

By we, Lindon was referring to several teams of designers working on the logo.  This resulted in nearly 200 design concepts.  While tweaking the company's color scheme to make their namemark FedEx orange less red and the purple less blue, Lindon started squeezing the spacing between the text until he noticed a white arrow begin to appear between the capital E and the lowercase x.  And the rest is history.  So revolutionary was the design that over the years since its inception, the logo has garnered more than 40 design awards and was ranked as one of the 8 best logos in the last 35 years.

You Only Get One Chance at a First Impression

Image courtesy of Danial Lamparelli

If you’re busy writing books you simply don’t have the time to be your own graphic designer. Like the FedEx logo, good design is not something you stumble upon. It’s a combination of skill and experience that require special training and a lot of practice. It will also take you years of dedication to master the software needed to complete all your graphic design work at a professional level.   By outsourcing the task to a professional, it will free you up to focus on writing your next book, or having the time to promote your current book.

Ensure your Message is Consistent

In business, an inconsistent message makes a company appear unprofessional. If you have several different logos appearing in different sizes across your book and website, all of which use different fonts and layouts, your message is going to come across as confused as will your design. Likewise, an inconsistent cover design is not a good way to inspire trust among your readers.

A graphic designer can create cover art which will help you get the reader's attention and make them want to read more.  He or she will also help you convey your book's theme before the reader even has a chance to check out your blurb.   They can also help you create an author website that wows readers.  Different designers will be  meticulous when it comes to ensuring that all the elements associated with your books are consistent with their content. They’ll also be more than happy to let you know when it’s not.  (That's why consulting with a graphic designer can be one of the most important things you can do when it comes to selling your books.)


You Can Make Book on That

With so much at stake when it comes to promoting your book, it would be foolish not to improve the odds by getting a graphic designer involved in the mix. As communication becomes increasingly visual and graphic design becomes increasingly critical to success online, you need every edge you can find in order to make your book a success.

Daniel Lamparelli is part of the Dream Team who works with GoodBooks.Online 
To see some samples of his covers and arrange a free consultation click on the link.