A completely underappreciated aspect of the bookish world is cover art! With conversations centering on stories and authors, the artwork designed for every book we read frequently takes a backseat. To send some love the designers’ way and make space for their work, here are the best covers from 2024!
Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Askner
Designed by Tyler Cromie, the cover of this novel by Taffy Drodesser-Askner is meant to reflect old mid-century advertisements. Brodesser-Askner spoke with Vanity Fair in January 2024 about how the cover is supposed to call upon these elements as well as pay tribute to her favorite New York magazine covers. The large block letters of the title bring color to the tan cover despite their muted tones. The handwritten elements tie in this idea of magazine titles that Brodesser-Askner mentioned with their almost editor style. Overall, it is a surprisingly detailed and stunning cover that manages to evoke a certain era through its minimalist design.
The Ministry of Time by Kalaine Bradley
The cover design was made by artist Alison Forner, with typography by Andrew Footit. For a science-fiction book that touches on time travel and romance, the cover art reflects the combination of these two elements. The sparkling stars against the black background manage to evoke both stars and romance. The color palette of the typography handles much of the same, with a dynamic depth to both the letters and vintage-inspired color collection. The novel’s ability to denote the themes through a simple cover calls upon true art — an absolutely lovely cover.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Both written and designed by Loz Moore, the wonderfully girlish and haunting cover of The God of the Woods makes for a beautiful addition to the covers of 2024. The perfectly painted landscape that is splintered by an out-of-place pink paint droplet draws both interest and intrigue — as well as being an original take on a sea of abstract covers. The art for this novel allows readers to take in the image of picture-perfect being broken so clearly by the artist who designed the image. It’s both expressive and subtle.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune
Artist Peyton Dixton created the cover art for Somewhere Beyond the Sea. This wonderfully whimsical design brings the reader into the world of the story immediately. The artwork looks straight out of a fairytale and calls upon our childhood while balancing it with universally understood imagery. Taking up the center stage is a phoenix — a complicated motif that many readers are familiar with. Not only is this design beautifully made, but it’s able to set the stage and themes for the novel itself.
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Published by Macmillan, The Wedding People by Alison Espach hosts a cover with a little bit of the human touch. The intentional visibility of the brush strokes and the quirky, relatable feeling it evokes brings readers nearly to a chuckle from just viewing the cover art. Though made digitally, the artist for this cover created an air of physicality to the cartoon design through elements of imperfection. In addition to the visible brush strokes, the typography breaks off in sections as if the brush being used has run out of ink. The combination of this theory of presentation and the wonderfully silly image makes this one of the best covers of the year.
The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields
The Honey Witch cover was designed by Lisa Marie Pompilio. The art reflects the same role as the reader in this gorgeous cover. As a mere visitor or onlooker in a story, the artist has placed the viewer on the outside of a gate, looking into the garden of a house. The image is incredibly expressive and simply beautiful. The garden flowers that coil around the edges of the cover and the whimsical hose on a hill are so well-designed that you can almost smell the blossoms. Certainly, it is a well-deserved addition to the collection of covers in 2024.
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
Designed by Julia Quinn, the art done for this cover creates a balance of quirkiness mixed with intrigue. The highly minimalistic cover art keeps the onlooker curious while bringing life to letters. Though there is a rather simple design to this cover, the artist flexes their ability to bring animation to a 2D design. Further, the color palette for the art is so dynamic. The sharp contrast between the vibrant letter and the deep blackness of the attic space brings an air of depth to the art.
Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid
Possibly the eeriest design of this year was brought to us by Ella Laytham. The vibrant pink typography used against the nearly ghost-like coloring of Lady Macbeth emphasizes the power that she wields through the play itself: her femininity. The image of Lady Macbeth, donning a crown and gold necklace, communicates her statue while the veil obscures her one eye. The image brings a sense of fear of the woman along with elegance. The art is incredibly well drawn, and any artist who can communicate so much through their work deserves praise.
Real Americans by Rachel Khong
The art for Real Americans was designed by artist Linda Huang. Linda designed the cover of this book in a window-like pattern, which similarly resembles a helix. The shape and peek-a-boo style brings to mind the glimpses into life we get from storytelling — in the case of Real Americans, a story that some of us may be entirely unfamiliar with. The helix brings to the cover the themes of the inseparable connection to our bloodline. In an incredibly dynamic representation of generations and culture, Huang gathers a history of identities into a brief glimpse.
The Details by Ia Genberg
Stephen Brayda designed the cover art for this novel by Ia Genberg. To understand the incredible design of this cover, one must know that the novel is about a sick woman reflecting on memories of her past that she can remember. The Details cover art mirrors this process of memory, breaking whole images into fragmented thoughts over the ombre background — a symbol of passing time. The conceptualization of memory is hard to find when memories are so individualized from person to person. Yet, Brayda can bring this idea into very real, very physical imagery.
Us Fools by Nora Lange
In an almost poster-like design, the cover of Us Fools creates vibrant calls to the Gen Z style for a story about two young women. The juxtaposition of the harsh and bright colors against the drab tones of the image encourages the viewer to contemplate the themes of girlhood and coming-of-age. The design is an incredibly unique cover for a truly heartfelt story.
Cover art is often an overlooked aspect of a book but an incredibly powerful part of reading.
For more gorgeous book covers, read our article on the 11 Books With Gorgeous Pink Covers.
Are you a writer looking to learn more about your craft? Check out the books in our Writer Inspiration book list on Bookshop.
