The document discusses various techniques for overlaying text over images in book covers and design. It provides examples of overlaying text in different colors, opacities, and placements to ensure readability over images with varying tones. Methods mentioned include using color overlays, adjusting image brightness, adding gradients or selective overlays, and manipulating images to focus on text. Proper text treatment and placement is also discussed to highlight key information while retaining image impact.

1. Type and pictures

2. Type over pictures presents particular problems. Here the black type is obviously too dark
To be readable over this image.

3. While this is a little better, it still doesn’t read easily. This image, as with many you may
Choose to use has a range of dark and light. Simply using white or black won’t resolve
The problem.

4. One solution might be to change the opacity of the image, making it lighter. But the
Image can loose it’s impact that way.

5. We could also add a gradient screen to the image, which retains
some of the impact of the original, while creating an area to include
the type.

6. Another good solution is to add a semi transparent color overlay, which
keeps the image strong and allows for readability.

7. Sometimes the available image has an area already that would be good
for adding type. This, of course, is not where you want to put the type
on this image.

8. Obviously, the sky, that has very little value contrast is a
better place to add the type.

11. We can also manipulate the photo, making it monochromatic or black and white with a color
overlay and add contasting type. We get the idea of the image, but focus on the text.

12. We can also overlay a semi transparent color over just an area of the photo,
leaving enough of the image to tell the story.

13. We can use multiple overlays for different blocks of text.

14. The following books covers either use helvetica or another sans serif font. The power of the cover
comes, for the most part, from the strength of the image.
The design in the type is kept simple. The variety comes from the size, color, weight and letter
spacing of the type. Also from it’s placement.

15. Here, an image is fully combined
with the title type, replacing one
of the letters.

16. A similar approach is taken here,
where an image replaces some of
the letters.

17. Here, the simple letterforms overlay
different images.

18. The title type overlays the image, but is
letter spaced to allow the image to be
seen.
The image has been adjusted to tone
down any white areas to allow the white
of the title type to contrast and pop out.

19. Using a bright color allows the type to
stand out even though there’s a lot of
contrasting tone in the image. Although the
type covers the image, it leaves important
parts of the image, the faces, dancing feet
and building ledge, clearly visible.

20. Letter spacing and using thin type echoes
the words of the title. The letters look light
and airy.

21. The following 3 covers are all for
Orwell’s 1984. They all use some
variation of the eye. But all use
minimal type treatment.

24. In most cases, the title of the book is
larger than the author’s name. In this
case, the author, who writes many nordic
mysteries is well known. Her fans wait for
her next book, so it’s as important to see
her name as it is to see the title of the
book.

25. In this case, the author is so
famous that his name is much
more important than the title of
the book, at least in terms of
selling the book.

26. Further examples

36. Book Structure

39. Types of binding for books