Title Typography – 8 Rookie mistakes that scream DIY Volume II.

This month I’m talking about rookie typography mistakes I see when folks attempt to create their own covers. These 8 examples are dead giveaways that the project is DIY. I’ll recap at the end in case you missed 1 & 2.
For the record, the image I posted has many of these rookie mistakes. Can you spot what they are? You might be able to guess, but shhhhh, don’t spoil it for the rest.
#3 – Text too close to the edge. Printers have what’s called a safety zone, 1/4 inch from the trim edge of a printed document. This safety zone is there in case there are shifts on press. (Shift happens! 😬Trust me.) For this reason, you must leave at least 1/4″ between the trim edge and your text. Some will argue that it doesn’t matter when it’s just an e-book cover. Not so. Good design principals dictate that the space is balanced. If you get too close to the edge, even if its only for an e-book, it looks like a rookie mistake. As a graphic designer, I personally prefer closer to 1/2 inch, if at all possible, just to give the text plenty of breathing space.
#4 – Using too many fontsMy BAD example of a book cover is the perfect specimen to illustrate how too many different fonts can KILL the look of a cover. On this “cover” I have used, Comic Sans (EGADS, that one alone will get you raked over the coals!) Lucida Grande, Dominican, Trajan Pro (also becoming slightly overused) Garamond Premier Pro Italic, and Edwardian Script. I think we can all agree that it looks like … excrement. Nuff said. Solution: Pick two font families and stick with them. And only one of them can be “fancy”