The old ancestor of the book, the papyrus, did not really have a cover to announce its colors. This first writing medium will continue to change over the centuries, becoming more and more accessible at the rate of technological advances. The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg and the refinement of binding techniques will change the symbolic perception of the book. Until the Renaissance, it was considered a precious object, because it contained religious and sacred texts; the good people were not allowed to touch it.
In perfect synchrony with the industrial revolution, the appearance of removable covers, chromolithography and cheap paper stimulated the arrival of illustrated magazines, paperback book and its French equivalent, the pocket book. While it may be true that you don’t judge a book by its cover, it has long since complied with the principles of the market society. And it can also be a work of art in its own right.
Between commerce and artistic expression, the desire to be catchy and the urge to play the card of subtlety, what guides illustrators and publishers when designing a cover? The process is by no means an exact science, as much a matter of instinct as of a few guidelines that ensure that the works of one publishing house easily stand out from another on the shelves of a bookstore or library.
“What is a good cover? I don’t pretend to know, says Benoit Tardif, artistic director and co-owner of Éditions de Ta Mère. Our goal is to make a beautiful book, and that the cover becomes its emblem. Each book from this publishing house also bears a different emblem, even if Benoit Tardif’s signature is the main common thread.
A cover should evoke the spirit of the book, but in the most open and attractive way possible, ideally with a glance. It is a contest of attraction and beauty.
“At the beginning, we had a stricter graphic grid from one book to another, says the illustrator, responsible for the majority of the covers of his publishing house. But that limited our choices. Now, if the house logo doesn’t work with the cover, we don’t put it on. The result: brightly colored illustrations with simple shapes that immediately catch the eye. According to Benoit Tardif, Handle with Careby Carolanne Foucher, Verdunlandby Timothée-William Lapointe and Baron Marc-André Lévesque, as well as High demolitionby Jean-Philippe Baril Guérard, hit their target perfectly. With regard to this last book, the illustrator is just as proud of its success, of its impact, as of the striking force of the cover with this circle of red bricks closing in on a comedian.
The kingdom of beauty
“A cover should evoke the spirit of the book, but in the most open and attractive way possible, ideally with a glance. It’s a contest of attraction and beauty,” says Antoine Tanguay, president and founder of Éditions Alto. Even if according to him, and with regret, “we still judge the book too much by its cover”.
The fact remains that those concocted by Alto do not go unnoticed, as evidenced by Guilaine Spagnol, owner of the bookstore La Maison des Feuilles, in Montreal. “Clients tell me a lot about their beauty,” says the one for whom blankets are very important. Because as a reader, especially in front of authors of whom she knows nothing, it is a real incentive to take a closer look. She gives as an example the works of the English author David Mitchell (The soul of clocks, The Thousand Falls by Jacob de Zoet).
Graphically, Antoine Tanguay approaches the work of a foreign writer differently from that of local authors. “For Dominique Fortier or Heather O’Neill, I have a Quebec model, but for authors from elsewhere, I let myself go a little looser! To such an extent, moreover, that he explains part of the success of David Mitchell (“very well known around the world, but very little in Quebec”) by the opulence and singularity of each cover of his books. offered in French at Alto. “I did the total, and I had fun,” says the publisher of Quebec.
This notion of pleasure must also guide those whose mission is to offer a case, or a dress, to all these stories written down on paper. “I see it as a movie poster, something on which we will project several meanings, several questions”, summarizes Sara Hébert, author and collagist, for whom thrift stores and flea markets are as much playgrounds as caves. of Ali Baba. Always looking for magazines, and images of all kinds, she likes to arrange her discoveries to give them a new shine, or a completely diverted vision. In short, it is a kind of scrapbooking » sophisticated which Sara Hébert is fond of.
Between opulence and counting
“Illustrating a book is a game of perceptions”, says the one who concocted the covers of The daughter of her–evenby Gabrielle Boulianne-Tremblay (leaf merchant), and The trajectory of confetti, by Marie-Ève Thuot (Red Herbs). Her gait could resemble that of a tightrope walker; sometimes in full control over the wire, sometimes far from the expectations of those who seek his services. “For the cover of The daughter of herself, we wanted to see a beautiful girl with blond hair, a dress, a house, and we had to integrate all these elements in a small format. I think it’s successful, because it catches the eye. On the other hand, I’ve already done 60 attempts for a cover and, in the end, we opted for a photo of the author…” As for his own book published a few months ago, suburban gem (Leaf merchant), Sara Hébert knew exactly what she wanted, and her editor quickly gave her her agreement.
Is an illustration or a photo of the author – Amélie Nothomb, for example, always enthroned on copies of her novels – essential to ensure the best trajectory for the book? According to Antoine Tanguay, who in recent years has offered beautifully daring covers (The Obese Christby Larry Tremblay; maleficiumby Martine Desjardins; Never wipe tears without glovesby Jonas Gardell), sobriety can also be an excellent business card.
As proof of this, the aesthetic approach of the publishing house Le Quartanier. “It’s a fine example of austerity,” underlines Antoine Tanguay. Same font, same format, only the color changes: it’s instantly recognizable, and it’s brilliant! Between opulence and destitution, the real pitfall when designing a cover would be to be guided by basely commercial considerations, or simple bad taste, according to Guilaine Spagnol. “A very ugly, very dated cover with garish colors and somewhat ugly typography will definitely not make me look at this book first,” she says emphatically.
Game of perceptions and balancing act, according to Sara Hébert, the design of a cover appears to be an essential element for its marketing, its durability, as well as the image of the publishing house associated with it. . If the publisher has his vision of the work to be published, and he includes the author in his approach – this is not always the case – his primary mission, and the most demanding, is that of transforming a manuscript in book, real long-term work. For Antoine Tanguay, the case is heard: “A very pretty cover can never be the right make-up for a bad novel. »