How to Design a Comic Book Cover

The cover of a comic book is more than a pretty picture. On a standard cover the eye-catching graphic has to share space with several other business elements all in 72 square inches--which isn't as big as it sounds. Whether you want to print up a collection of your webcomic for promotional reasons or sell printed issues for profit--there are things you need to keep in mind that will make your cover a cohesive work of art instead of a mishmash of parts that no one will want to look at--much less read.

Instructions

How to Choose the Elements

1. Your logo is maybe the most important item because it doesn't change. Each issue may feature different art, but the title or logo-title combination should remain consistent. If you use an outside publisher, they will likely have their own logo that will need to be added, though it's usually small in comparison to yours.

2. Various other text will be splashed across your cover. In addition to the main title, each issue may have a subtitle or issue number to help readers keep track of the story. Crediting the writer and artist used to be rare, but common practice these days, so make sure to credit all the major players (writer, pencils, inks, color).

3. For the cover image anything from a pin-up style pose of the main character to a scene from the story will work. The right graphic will catch a reader's eye and make him curious about what's on the inside. Make it a good representation of the issue without giving too much of the story away.

How to Put the Elements Together

1. Either scan your designs into a photo editing program or photocopy the elements in various sizes to arrange by hand. Keep in mind your working space is only 6.875 inches wide by 10.5 inches tall. Move the pieces around to find the best layout and balance between all of the elements.

2. Keep in mind the Z-principle which brings the reader's eye from left to right along the top (traditionally where the logo and main title will go) across and back down to the lower left, then back across to the right along the bottom (think credits or episode title). This isn't the only way to format the images, but it's one that works more often than not.

3. The actual cover graphic should be designed as part of the other elements. If your scene takes up too much space you run the risk of the logo(s) covering up an important feature, lines running into logos at inopportune points or the entire image being shrunk to fit, wasting space that could have been better utilized.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure all fonts and lettering fit with the overall style of the cover.

• Keep the images clean and uncluttered; too much going on will confuse a browser's eye.

• Logos and titles should be readable first and foremost. Stylized fonts or logos are great, but make sure not to over-embellish and lose the heart of the message.