They say you should never judge a book by its cover. But let’s get superficial for a moment and talk about some of the year’s prettiest book covers and the trends that inspired them.
Book cover design is an art all its own, and in 2022, we saw trends like millennial pink and hand-drawn lettering make their way onto some of the year’s hottest books. While beauty’s in the eye of the beholder, there’s no doubt that book designers are going for the most “Instagram-friendly” looks they can find. With more books than ever catching readers’ eyes on social media, many look to what’s trending in the social space for creative inspiration.
We believe that all books are beautiful, but nevertheless pulled together this list of the most popular trends in book design, and some of the most eye-catching covers within them. So, feast your eyes on these 2022 designs, from illustrated styles to innovative photography and more:
Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins
It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover
Violeta by Isabel Allende
The Honeys by Ryan La Sala
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty
The Family Izquierdo by Rubén Degollado
Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour
The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner
I’m So Not Over You by Kosoko Jackson
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
In Love by Amy Bloom
Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Dr. Julie Smith
His Name is George Floyd by Robert Samuels
The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
This is What It Sounds Like by Susan Rogers and Ogi Ogas
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Pride by Stella Caldwell
True Biz by Sara Nović
The It Girl by Ruth Ware
All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
The Return of Faraz Ali by Aamina Ahmad
Nowhere for Very Long by Brianna Madia
An Immense World by Ed Yong
Bliss Montage by Ling Ma
The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka
Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell
Jackal by Erin E. Adams
Under the Skin by Linda Villarosa
Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
Don’t Go to Sleep by Bryce Moore
Dead Girls Can’t Tell Secrets by Chelsea Ichaso
Hokuloa Road by Elizabeth Hand
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
There’s Something About Merry by Codi Hall
The Town of Babylon by Alejandro Varela
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan
To browse more eye candy, download the free Libby reading app and browse your library’s digital collection.