Many people judge a book by its cover (and, as visual people, we can quite easily relate). Because of this fact the function of a book cover is only partially as the face of the product. Before it is product, however, the book’s cover functions as a sales tool. Whether the customer is browsing books on Amazon or in the local bookstore, the book cover functions as a marketing tool that sets it apart from competition and gives the potential buyer high expectations about the value of the content.

By contrast, a book interior is pure product and the value of its design can be seen immediately. A well designed interior adds not just to the ambiance of the page but also makes the very act of reading more pleasurable. A thousand details such as font type, letter kerning, line leading, border sizes, gutter widths, header & footer designs, rules, and illustrations make for a highly technical form of design. Measurements, proportions, and line weights challenge designers to create something beautiful by balancing all this multitude of details using a minimal number of tools and, often, a minimal palette. But, as is often the case, such challenges often lead to the most rewarding solutions.

Simple to Complex

Design Corps has provided both design of interiors and typesetting/page composition for a wide variety of books—from simple chapter books to complex Bibles, workbooks and devotionals. Below is a brief summary of the assortment of interiors we have done.

COMPLEX ONE COLOR INTERIORS
Bible interiors are a good example of complex interior design since they require multiple character and paragraph styles, headers, footnotes, chain references, as well as multiple components for specialty Bibles. Bibles with interiors designed by Design Corps include:
• The Concordia Study ESV Bible,
• The Concordia Study Apocrypha,
• The Legacy Bible (Zondervan),
• The Heritage Bible,
• The Latino Bible,
• The Renewing the Mind Bible,
• The A. W. Tozer Bible,
• The Serendipity Bible,
• The Teachers Bible,
• The MacArthur Study Bible

TWO COLOR INTERIORS
Design Corps has done multiple two-color Bibles. Color selection, duotone art production, and careful color management all lead to outstanding use of creativity. Sometimes this heightens the use of two inks to give the Bible a more full color feel. Other times it helps to tie specialty Bibles to their contributors’ published materials. Design Corps has done two-colored interiors for the following Bibles:
• The A. W. Tozer Bible,
• The Fire Bible for Kids (Life Publishers),
• Our Daily Bread Bible (Discovery House),
• The Apologetics Study Bible (Holman),
• The Hope Bible (Free Press),
• The Maxwell Leadership Bible revised (Thomas Nelson) and
• several speculative Bible products never developed.

FULL COLOR GIFTBOOK INTERIORS
Our gift book designs have used full-color to make every spread important to the product as the cover. The rich feel of the interior design helps create a luxurious ambiance in the overall experience of reading these books.

Balancing Great Creativity with Great Project Management

For over 15 years Design Corps has been involved in various forms of interior design. Each project has its own unique challenges and rewards. Design Corps’s strength lies in its right-brained/left-brained combination. We combine outstanding creative solutions — creating clear, attractive pages targeting specific audiences — with superior project management to get you technically well-built files on schedule and in budget.

An Inspirational Guide for Christians from a Rabbi

Product Description

Holy Days of Israel is a book written by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. The goal of the Fellowship is “to help needy Jews in Israel and throughout the world, and to build bridges of understanding between Christians and Jews.” In this book Rabbi Eckstein offers, as an expression of appreciation, an inspiring guide about the five most important days of the Jewish calendar to help Christians deepen their understanding of the Jewish roots of the Christian faith.

Design Corps involvement

Design of the book Holy Days of Israel by Design Corps included the following:
• COVER DESIGN
— Six concepts were presented in two phases
• INTERIOR DESIGN
— The interior is full-color. Three concepts were presented for a design that included three types of spreads: introductions, lessons, and devotions.
• PAGE COMPOSITION
• IMAGE SELECTION ASSISTANCE
— Over fifty images were required. These were divided primarily between full-color photographs for the lessons and nineteenth century woodcut engravings for the devotions.

A NOTE ON THE ENGRAVINGS
Most of the woodcuts were done by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (March 26, 1794 – May 24, 1872) a German artist born in Leipzig who became part of the Nazarene Movement. This school of religious and romantic art sought to revive the principles of earlier periods, abandoning the modern styles.

Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: IFCJ
Author: Rabii Yechiel Eckstein

Product Description

The Compound Effect is a book written by Dan Meylan, president of the ministry Weavers. The mission of Weavers is “to teach and encourage men and women to passionately promote and demonstrate the Gospel of Christ through their businesses.” And this book, which is directed toward business leaders, acts as a sort of first step in introducing those who want to have an Impact in God’s Kingdom to biblical and business principles that will help them to combine spiritual maturity and business competency. These principles are for sustainable business success and include: core competencies required to operate a successful enterprise, practical road maps to achieve impact through the marketplace, and guidance on creating business results that establish sustainable transformational legacies.

Design Corps involvement

Long before this book came into being Design Corps had been helping Weavers in the development of its teaching materials (DVD packaging, charts, and graphs) as well as its marketing and sales tools (web site, brochures, and trade show graphics). The Compound Effect design needed to work well with other Weavers branding but also needed to be set apart.
The book design had four aspects:
• COVER DESIGN
— for which we presented nine concepts in two phases
• INTERIOR DESIGN
• GRAPHS, CHARTS and ILLUSTRATIONS
— creation of over twenty pieces of art for the interior
• PAGE COMPOSITION

FOLLOW UP
Book design was followed up with both technical support and marketing support (files for printing, art for the Weavers web site, art files for other online sales avenues, and design of promotional materials.)

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Dawson Media
Author: Daniel Meylan

Product description

Talking with God places the reader in the midst of human life that is sometimes awesome in the beauty of its blessings and sometimes searing in the agony of its pain. The Christian’s life includes church and worship, but also question and doubts; marriage and family life, but also dissolution and loss; sharing the faith, but also perplexing challenges; the lightness of celebration, but also the darkness of tragedies. On all the highways and byways of this journey, the traveler of faith seeks after God. Talking with God gives expression to that journey and provides comfort for the traveler.

Design Corps involvement

Design Corps developed multiple cover designs, working with author and publishing consultant to embody their precise message visually. We then developed the book interior design, composed the interior pages, produced final art, and provided production-ready files.

Paperback: 242 pages
Publisher: Exxel Publishing LLC
Author: Henry J. Baron

365 Fun Sports Facts, Stories, and Spiritual Lessons

For ages: 9-12, The Sports Trivia Devotional is an entertaining and engaging book that combines the dates of different classic sporting events with a fun, inspiring daily devotional thought. It’s filled with fascinating facts and invaluable information on just about every type of athlete and sport you can imagine. You’ll meet a one-legged mountain-climber, a surfing survivor, backward runners, an elephant polo player, and All-Star champions across the athletic spectrum. Most importantly, you’ll discover points and principles from the Bible and sports which apply to competition and all of life.

Design Corps involvement

Design Corps first worked with the Livingstone Corporation in developing The Sports Trivia Devotional by designing two of the three interior page design concepts. We then used the selected design as a springboard for multiple cover designs, developing final art, and assisting with production questions and choices.

Paperback: 328 pages
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Authors: David Veerman, Dana Niesluchowski
Developed by The Livingstone Corporation

And then there are e-books. E-books can be published online (to be read on your computer or cell phone) or as books specific to certain types of e-readers such as the Amazon Kindle, the Sony Reader, or the Barnes & Noble Nook. Sales of these last sort of books are rising as new e-readers are developed and become popular. All these tectonic shifts in publishing come together to give us a brave new world for the new author.

DESIGN CORPS has had the pleasure of working on several books this past year which have not only embraced these shifts but capitalized on them to advance greater corporate objectives. Not one of them has been through the traditional publishing industry. Yet the following is true for each of them:

• each one has used a publishing and marketing consultant
• each one has grown out of, and been intended to promote, a larger business or ministry endeavor which included public speaking, conferences, and seminars.
• each one has used professional editors and book designers (that’s us) to help craft a book that is marketable and effective in promoting the larger goals of the business.
• each group also used additional means to promote the book and, therefor, their business or ministry as well. These included web sites, blog sites, e-mail campaigns, brochures, posters, Amazon tools, and Social media profiles. And several required e-book versions in addition to printed copies.

Today’s publishing landscape has changed. Books are changing as well but they will remain to be both desired and useful. A company or author needs to clearly understand their audience and objectives in writing a book. Once they do they can select from a wide range of business and technical resources to help them prepare, produce, and promote the book. At DESIGN CORPS we have the experience and strategic partnerships to help any author produce, and promote your self-published book in a variety of means. Call us today to find out more.

(1) “As traditional publishers look to prune their booklists and rely increasingly on blockbuster best sellers, self-publishing companies are ramping up their title counts and making money on books that sell as few as five copies, in part because the author, rather than the publisher, pays for things like cover design and printing costs.…In 2008, nearly 480,000 books were published or distributed in the United States, up from close to 375,000 in 2007, according to the industry tracker Bowker.” — (“Self-Publishers Flourish as Writers Pay the Tab ”, Motoko Rich, New York Times, Book Section, January 28th, 2009)

Product Description

The Maximized Living Bible sought to emphasize a healthy and holistic focus both through the insights of Scripture and those from a leading health and fitness expert. Edited by Dr. Ben Lerner, author of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Christian Booksellers Association bestselling book Body by God, and one of the founders of Maximized Living, which is an organization committed to “Changing how people view & manage health.” An academic all-American wrestler in college, he has served as physician for the US wrestling teams in six World Team competitions and two Olympiads. His breakthrough strategies for total health and well-being are the foundation to his thriving local practice and the many clinics he owns and consults for around the world.       

Design Corps involvement

Though never published, the Maximized Living Bible was a great opportunity at visually merging concepts of physical and spiritual vitality. Design Corps worked with the Livingstone Corporation in developing multiple cover designs which gave the client several design directions. Each design sought in a unique way to capture the vibrancy and strength of God’s Word while referencing the involvement of the editor, Dr. Ben Lerner, with the health, fitness, and the Olympics. The final cover selected was meant to echo the style of the look of the upcoming Winter Olympics.

Hardcover
Publisher: NCV
Developed by The Livingstone Corporation

In order to help kids survive in this world, the Assemblies of God wanted to produce a version of their popular Fire Bible in a format for children.

Client Background

In 2010, while the Fire Bible for Kids was in production, Alton Garrison, President of the Assemblies of God Bible Alliance, wrote to his constituents: “In Acts 2:38-39 (NIV), the Holy Spirit is promised to our kids: “You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and all who are far off.” With the Fire Bible for Kids, we are helping the children of the world today — and for generations to come — know that the Holy Spirit is for them and the promise is for them. We are Preserving the Promise! … The Fire Bible for Kids is currently in production, but I have been given some sample copies of a few pages. I was so excited when I got these that I had to share them with you.”

Design Solution

INTERIOR: Design Corps provided multiple concepts for cover and interior, focusing on conveying the radiance and energy of fire without all of its accompanying characteristics of pain and destruction. The interior utilized illustrations for each book of the bible with titles for the books as well as art for special sections in the same style. Orange and black inks were used to convey the same warmth and glow of fire.

COVER: For the cover we used a similar cartoon stylization and warm glow to convey energy for kids, but now utilizing full color. We also added some more dimension to the type face to give the title more the feel of an emblem. The result is an eye-catching, kid-friendly cover.

A book cover is a complex design project—part packaging, part advertising, and of course part product. It is required to provide product positioning, sales information, and aesthetic quality. Despite this demanding criteria, or perhaps because of it, we find book covers appealing as a creative platform for innovative work that is both artistic in aesthetics and strategic in marketing.

Design Corps was recently asked to design a dust jacket cover for the hardcover book Living Beyond the Sanctuary published by FaithWalk Publishing and written by Glenn McDonald. The book challenges Christians to get out of their comfortable churches in order to be “salt & light”, bringing the Good News to a fallen world. There have been many books on this theme (see below).

And this title lent itself to some straightforward interpretations. But we wanted to have the cover work on several deeper levels:

• stylistically sophisticated,
• intellectually intriguing,
• aesthetically appealing, and
• philosophically revealing.

Design Corps first submitted three concepts (above) to establish the direction that the publisher wanted to go with the cover, two of which were straightforward representations of the books title or content, and one which was an interpretation of its principles and meaning. At first the publisher leaned toward the straightforward representation, but over time after much back and forth between the publisher and the author they each concluded that they were drawn as well to the more sophisticated interpretation. Therefore, just as the actual art was created through layering of multiple layers of photographs and effects, so the selected design incorporated strengths in conveying meaning on multiple levels:

Style

The audience was defined as Christians in the Emerging Church movement, which basically means they eschew the trappings of tradition (in the form, ritual, and established dress of church) in order to engage a post-modern culture in it’s own terms. Therefore style of layout, type, etc. was intentionally post-modern and “anti-traditional”.

Content

The title did not need to be repeated in an image of a sanctuary. Instead we wanted to accentuate the meaning by showing a man walking through puddles on a rainy day to convey that the “real world” is not all nice and comfortable. We also included along with the puddles images of people in the background, the very impetus for getting “beyond the sanctuary”.

Aesthetics

The strong blue color and the intriguing angle made for a powerful shelf presence for the cover. But the image was given a lot of attention to give it an appealing texture so that the closer you get the more you see that every part is rich in a texture of ripples or rain. Four photos were merged to come up with the final photo. as well as several digital effects to add the texture.

Deeper Meaning

The richest aspects of multi-layering are not in the aesthetic qualities but in the latent meaning sometimes only discovered as one comes to understand the message of the book. There are several aspects of the cover design that are intentional yet subtle.

First, as mentioned above, the rainy atmosphere is a visual affirmation that life is not about comfort and seclusion but about our interactions with others.

Second, the main figure is not the focus. Rather, his steps out into the world.

Third, what we do see of the main figure is in the poor reflection of the puddle, upside down and degraded by raindrops. This portrays a Christian theme of loss of self and of self-focus. John the Baptist said, “I must become less, He (Christ) must become more.” This is at the heart of McDonald’s message.

Fourth, unlike the reflection of the main figure, the figures in the background are seeming to come forward from obscurity to clarity. This illustrates the books emphasis of having a focus for other persons and their welfare.

The final result was a book cover that combines meaning, texture, strategy and color. So much thought is put into the interior of a book, it should be assumed that the cover would have equal depth in an appropriate manner so as to reflect the intent, meaning and message of the writing while still having strategic marketing value.

A self-published book is a labor of love. And it needs to be if it is to be given the attention and commitment required to see it through the many stages of development until it is printed and marketed.

Project Background

In Held Back by Nothing, the author tells us through the story of his youngest son, Steven, how to discover any disabled child’s uniquely normal potential. While the book relates Steven’s exploits growing up, it is also full of helpful hints for parents in need of guidance and inspiration for their own “uniquely normal” child.

Design Solution

Design Corps was able to keep costs down while positioning the book to stand out in its field. We helped with cover design, interior design, page composition, and production.