Fantasy book covers design: trends to follow

02.08.2021

We love designing premade fantasy book covers. You can let your imagination go, implement your wildest ideas, have fun with uncommon aesthetics, and satiate our desire to draw dragons. (But, let’s be honest here, dragons never get old).

Fortunately, the fantasy continues to be a popular and adored genre so many authors like you continue to expand and strengthen. And we want to bring the best value to your table with our premade fantasy covers. It means, staying in touch with the latest trends in the industry. 

In other words, we found a great excuse to spend a lot of time staring at the latest fantasy art to determine what makes it tick. 

Fantasy covers trend 1: Illustration

There’s an irresistible charm to a hand-drawn illustration. And no wonder, illustration is a flexible medium that is great for self-expression. When you photobash, you borrow pieces from other artists’ works. When you draw, each brushstroke carries the weight of your individuality and style. The only limitation is the level of mastery. 

Also, illustrated covers carry the nostalgia of old-school posters, classic fantasy books, animation, concept art, and even fairytale art. No matter your age, a well-crafted illustrated cover will catch your attention and elicit an emotional response. 

That’s why illustration suits fantasy covers like a glove and continues to embellish the covers of many books. 

The downside of the illustration is its price — such covers take much more time to create. But, experienced cover designers can emulate the feel of the illustrated cover surprisingly well. Such covers are cheaper but have a piece of that charm. 

Fantasy covers trend 2: Typography-heavy book covers

Fantasy is the genre of breathtaking imagery, so it would be strange to make typography the main hero of the cover. Right? 

Well, there are plenty of covers that prove the opposite: typography can be a dominating element and the central focus of the cover to great success.

Besides, typography is a powerful tool. By picking fonts, their size, manipulating the spacing of letters, applying different textures, and changing composition you can communicate the genre, and emotions, and make your title super-memorable. Also, a clever typography-heavy book cover can be catchy. 

Fantasy cover trend 3: More diverse representation

Fantasy authors from underrepresented or marginalized communities gradually get more representation in the genre. They create unique worlds inspired by the diversity of different experiences and cultures. 

The covers of such books do their best to reflect the uniqueness of the worlds, heroes, and cultures the authors create. You can see more ethnic motives, cultural references, and a more diverse cast. 

Fantasy covers trend 4: Bright colors and strong contrasts 

Being bold, whether it’s a brush character or a reckless adventure, is an essential part of the fantasy genre. And, being bold with colors becomes a part of the fantasy cover design trends. 

In the past, fantasy art preferred chill colors, pastel hues, and palettes that seem tender and natural. Today, you can see more clashing, contrasting colors on the covers of fantasy books. 

These covers are in-your-face bright and vivid. They shine as if challenging you, would you dare to ignore me? Whether this trend is the result of the desire to stand out more or be more expressive and bold, it does its job. 

 

Fantasy covers trend 5: The Character is still a heart and soul 

If there’s a fantasy book cover trend that persists and will likely outlive us all, it’s a character-based art. 

Whether it’s old-school fantasy drawings of Frank Fazzeta

Or the work of modern artists, 

You can always find a cover centered around bigger-than-life characters who’re able to deal with impossible odds and inspire people. 

Fantasy is often stories about exceptional people doing exceptional things. So what’s the better way to show it than to depict a hero or a heroine in all their glory?

Fantasy covers trend 6: Symbols 

What’s more mysterious and intriguing than a nicely done elaborate symbol? Well, we can name a few things, but a symbol is up there with the rest.  

We don’t know whether it’s due to their ornamentalism, elegant beauty, or geometric precision,  but you can see more and more symbol-centric fantasy covers on the market. A symbol can also be a strong story-telling tool. 

The resulting covers look sleek and intriguing. What’s not to like?

Fantasy cover trend 7: Meticulous worldbuilding

One of the fantasy’s strongest sides is its worlds: unique, captivating, well-planned, and completely engrossing. The covers that manage to convey at least part of this richness feel completely overwhelming in all the good ways. These covers usually focus on the environment, architecture, and nature. You can spend hours admiring all the details, references, bits of visual storytelling, and meticulous craft that went into such a cover. 

Summing Up

Understanding fantasy book cover trends is useful and all, but don’t let them override your vision and taste. Use them for inspiration and as references for an artist to better communicate your vision. In our experience, the best covers are born out of pure artistic impulse, experience, and a well-polished skill. And that’s what we do here in GetPremades to design our covers. So if you need a premade fantasy book cover, feel free to stop by our shop

 

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