Children do not have a long attention span. And that is why they do not like to engage in activities like reading books. But if they are to gain knowledge and learn about things outside of what they already know, they must read books. Now, the question is- how to make kids develop an interest in reading? Well, there are different ways to make this happen, but the importance of a book with an attractive book cover cannot be overemphasized. And it goes without saying that children consider visual appeal extremely important. So, their books need to have attractive book covers with amazing illustrations. Now, let’s discuss some of the most important qualities of illustrations meant for childrens book covers–
· If you have ever spent time with kids, then you probably know how amused they get when they see colors. Colors play an extremely important role in a child’s life. Starting from what they wear to what they play with, they like everything they use to be colorful. And that is why it is important that the books you hand them to read have colorful illustrations on their covers.
· Illustrations for children’s book covers should be created, keeping their understanding level in mind. So, the subjects and objects in the illustrations should not imply anything that kids cannot comprehend. In fact, what subjects and objects are chosen should be based on children’s familiarity with them. Complexity is a strict no-no for kids. Also, stay away from abstract elements. Hence, starting from the message that the illustration conveys to the characters and objects used in it, nothing should reflect abstractness.
· Since, we are talking about cover page illustrations, they should portray the theme of the book. And when an illustrator decides to convey this theme through their illustration, they should aim at exactness. Children do not like it when they see something on the book cover, get excited about it and then find a story inside the book that doesn’t quite justify the cover. If you have chosen to make the illustration on the cover page interesting or exciting, make sure the content in the book justifies it. Don’t include anything that is not in the story. You will have to be extremely specific when you handle this aspect.
For instance, if a mass of cloud in your illustration has a face, then it’s likely that the child who has picked up this book to read will expect the story to have a talking cloud as one of its characters. So, do not mislead the kids through your illustrations. You will have to be extremely careful as whatever the kids are going to see in the cover illustration; they are going to look for it in the story.
By keeping these simple points in mind, you will be able to create the perfect Illustrator for hire for children’s book cover. But then it is always wise to hire an illustration expert for this job, rather than going DIY. After all, they know their trade well and are least likely to make unnecessary mistakes.
