by Kevin Barrett Kane On an unusually warm day in the fall of 2013, I found myself chasing burning sheets of paper down Walnut Street near downtown Boulder, Colorado. Though I had set the papers on fire intentionally, a sudden gust and the resulting scattering was not a part of my plan.  The content of these papers was as much staged as their fiery demise—it outlined a financial investment contract between the venture capital firm Foundry Group and Mozaik, a technology startup devoted to uncovering financial fraud. Mozaik, however, was not a real company, and Foundry partner Br ..read more

by Emma Christine Hall As a young woman this has been an incredibly trying—albeit exciting—year for me. I have been voraciously consuming any news I can about the Women’s March, #metoo, and Time’s Up. The solidarity these movements represent has been overwhelming, and I can honestly say that I never expected something on this scale to happen in my lifetime. But I’m glad that it has. And I am excited to see what changes come of it. I feel fortunate at this period in time to own and run a company with a partner who is not only an amazing collaborator, but also a thoughtful and self-reflective al ..read more

Since launching The Frontispiece in 2015, we have designed over 200 book projects for clients ranging from first-time indie authors to some of the largest publishers in the world. We love working with all of our clients, but if we had to choose, self-publishing authors are our favorite. Working with a publisher can be a lot easier in many ways. Publishers tend to have clear standards, protocols, and systems in place to make our job as book designers as easy as possible. They provide images and typefaces for us to use, and detailed creative briefs describing the requirements for cover or ..read more

We’re often asked about the value of hiring a professional book designer, which usually leads to a discussion about what a book designer actually is. A book designer inhabits a strange world between two large industries: graphic design and publishing. Because they are required to communicate with and anticipate the needs of both, book designers are regularly confused for inhabiting one or the other exclusively. At The Frontispiece, we often get mistaken for a publishing house or a graphic design studio, when we’re actually neither and somewhat both. There isn’t a great one-word embodiment of w ..read more

It happens nearly every time an author comes to us. They are a smart, literate person—they’ve written an entire book, so we should hope they are. They’ve done their research on how best to market their book. They’ve hired an amazing editor and top notch book designers to craft a beautiful cover and interior for their masterpiece. And they’ve even created their own landing page to announce the coming of their next publication. But there is a big problem. Their landing page, out there for all to see, contains a mistake that could cost them anywhere from $100 to $100,000. It contains a photo. Th ..read more

Many of us know a person who DIYs everything. If there’s ever a problem, they come equipped with duct tape, a mop bucket, and Windex. They’re scrappy. They save money. And their work is a great temporary fix. It might keep your kitchen from flooding for a week. But anyone can look at a DIY solution and tell it from a professional one. When it comes to designing a book cover, leaving your duct tape showing can completely delegitimize an otherwise excellent book. DIY design solutions seldom work if you do not already have the appropriate experience and tools. Almost all self-publishing resource ..read more

In my previous post, I introduced the various decisions that go into incorporating the image of a character on the cover of a book. Though there are many different factors that need to be weighed in making this decision, it really comes down to one thing: finding the perfect image.  Using stock photography in my designs is a technique that I purposefully avoid as much as possible. However, there comes a point when my lack of photography skills or access to a professional photographer means there are few other options when looking for that "perfect image." I typically pursue 5–10 concepts ..read more

by Kevin Barrett Kane The choice to feature a character on a cover design is one of the most troubling decisions a book designer can make. The arguments for and against its use revolve around a question of superfluity—namely, does the use of a human figure rob imaginative agency from the reader?   Peter Mendelsund addresses this issue in his book, Cover, stating: Put a person on the cover. A frequently winning design tactic, though also tricky—as we designers don't want to rob readers of their satisfying acts of imagination. Two covers I've designed recently serve as excellent exampl ..read more

by Kevin Barrett Kane To me, there is nothing more difficult and rewarding in book production than designing the cover. The process of choosing interior typefaces and layout pales in comparison to the choices necessary to designing a great cover. For me, though interior typesetting is typically more time-consuming, cover ideation and design is wholly more mentally taxing. There are countless methods to approaching cover design, and I won't dive into any of them here, but some of the questions I ask when first approaching a cover design are as follows: What is the intended output? Print/digita ..read more

by Kevin Barrett Kane I was recently asked to respond to some questions about the value of book design. Specifically, the prompt was to address whether or not authors underestimated the process of professional typesetting. This is what I had to say: ___ Do you think independent authors underestimate the importance of professional typesetting? The short answer to this question is: yes, sometimes. I have had the pleasure of working with many authors who are aware of the importance of skillful book design, but all too often I find myself justifying the time, effort, and fees associated with the t ..read more