Earlier this week we talked about How Not to Get Overwhelmed: The Book Cover Design, and I felt like something was missing. Yesterday I listened in on a webinar hosted by Joseph Michael and featuring Mike Balmaceda that discussed making your book cover the best it can be to sell your story. That’s when it dawned on me what I’d forgotten to add when we discussed cover design! Color! I wanted to give you one more bit of info whether you plan to design your own cover or commission one.
Colors Matter
I have always enjoyed the feel of colors, and any time I’ve asked for feedback on the various covers I’ve designed the response often comes with an emotional connection of some sort. There is something about colors that attract and repel us, and they also convey a sense of emotion, which as writers and indie publishers we need to be taking advantage of for our book covers.
Instead of me rambling on I wanted to share some infographics I have found helpful as I learn more about the psychology of color and work to use it more efficiently. I thought you might also find this info helpful for designing your own covers. If you are having someone else design the cover, it’s good to share the color scheme you’d like for your books with whoever might be designing it so that you best convey the feeling/emotion you want your readers to gain.
I’d also say that while you’re researching other covers in your genre that you pay attention to the color schemes, too!
The following chart is from CoverDesignStudio.com:
| Red | Energy, enthusiasm, emotion, power |
| Dark Red | Passion, depth, dominance, prestige |
| Orange | Positive, dynamic, optimistic, confident |
| Pale Yellow | Friendly, approachable, warm |
| Bold Yellow | Ambition, motivation, creativity, cutting edge |
| Green | Nature, vitality, environment, health |
| Blue | Dependability, trust, thoughtfulness, calm |
| Dark Blue | Deep sincerity, intuition, truth |
| Light Purple | prosperity, spirituality, creativity, harmony |
| Dark Purple | Depth, wealth, mystery, fantasy |
| Grey | Sophistication, knowledge, prestige, wisdom |
| Pink | Youth, playfulness, emotion, innocence |
| White | Clean, straightforward, self-sufficient, simple |
| Black | Authority, power, control, mystery, suspense |
| Brown | Natural, of the earth, comfortable, organic |
This next one I like to look at when thinking about branding and logos for author marketing type stuff.
This last chart I added because I adore the simple and straightforward presentation of how primary, secondary, and tertiary colors correspond!
You can click on any of the images to see the infographics on the owners’ websites.
Rachael Ritchey 
Please leave a comment, question, or idea! I’d love to chat!