Book cover design. Interview with Ivan Semonchuk

Would you like to get to know the people behind our premade book covers? If so, we have exciting news for you – we’re starting a new column dedicated to interviews with our talented book cover designers. Make yourself comfortable, and let’s get to meet them.

Our first guest is Ivan Semonchuk, our creative and hardworking team member. We asked Ivan a few questions, and here’s what came out of it.

How did you become a book cover designer? Do you remember the first cover for the writer?

Well, where to start? I began as a logo designer and also created vector illustrations. But I’ve always loved working with Photoshop more. I liked to collage different photos to make one realistic and immersive image.

The first book cover I’ve ever made was a coloring book for children. In this case, you usually don’t need to overthink the composition. You must make everything as colorful, bulging, and noticeable as possible.

Do you have a favorite premade book cover you’ve designed? 

Honestly, it’s hard to single out just one. But this one is one of my favorites:

Premade book cover by Getpremades

Do you face any major differences when you design a premade cover compared to a custom one? 

In general, I would say no. However, when designing a premade cover, I usually have more freedom and can do whatever I want. Indeed, the only restriction is to follow the market peculiarities and genre standards.

When creating a custom book cover, it’s essential to consider the client’s requirements and preferences.

What type and genre of premade book cover do you enjoy designing the most?

I love creating object-based book covers. I can hide and incorporate an interesting item or ornamentation into the design. It will convey the general vibe of the story, but the cover still remains mysterious and intriguing.

As for genres, I like designing premade covers for epic fantasy and fantasy romance. Honestly, fantasy is one of my favorite genres to read. I also like to play video games containing mythical creatures, magical artifacts, and super-powerful heroes. Thus, I get a tone of inspiration from there.

Where do you go for inspiration when designing premade covers?

I usually scroll Pinterest to get some ideas. After all, it’s really one of the most endless resources for visual inspiration.

Have you ever imagined what story could be framed by the premade cover you created? 

Oh, there are so many stories that making a premade cover that will fit just one is challenging. But it’s always exciting to see the published book and explore whether it matches one of the plots I imagined when designing that particular premade cover.

However, I think it can work both ways. I mean that our premade cover can inspire an author to write their new masterpiece even if the writer had no such plans before he saw the cover.

Have you noticed any tendency in book cover trends, especially among premade ones?

First, I would like to note that a cover designer must stay tuned to current trends, requirements, and standards. In fact, our team always does this – research the market constantly.

Speaking about the latest tendencies in premade book cover design, I’ve noticed that object-based covers prevail over character-based ones. I’ve also come across covers with mythical creatures than heroes, such as dark fantasy and romance with dragons.

Do you have any questions for our graphic designers? Feel free to write them in the comments below; we’ll pass them on to our team.