Books are cultural icons that reflect the trends in our society as powerfully as album covers, furniture design and fashion. Too often however, jackets are judged on their aesthetic appeal rather than their ability to communicate and engage. This website is an attempt to redress the balance. Fixabook is the only place on the web that analyses book design and gives strategic and creative guidance on jackets, blurbs and spines. The aim is quite simple; Fixabook wants to celebrate the very best in book design while at the same time, helping people to think more deeply about their book covers.

Since we launched, we’ve worked with agents, authors and publishers across all genres. We’ve been featured in Creative Review (“Look after your spines, book designers”), the Sunday Times online (“…a little piece of biblio-heaven awaits you at fixabook.com”), the Guardian books forum and on hundreds of book and design blogs. We’ve been lucky enough to have hosted guest posts from leading designers, publishers and other creative thinkers, including  Mark Ecob, James Spackman, Fiona Curran and Seth Godin, who chose Fixabook to launch the cover designs for his first Domino Project titles. And we’re delighted to have been shortlisted for a 2011 Futurebook Digital Innovation award.

When fixabook was launched, the founders  kept their identities secret in order to give the site time to stand on its own two feet. Now that it has established itself as the foremost blog on design strategy, the moment has come for them to reveal themselves.

Damian Horner has worked in advertising, graphic design and packaging for over 20 years. He has won numerous awards and worked with some of the world’s biggest brands.

He now acts as a Marketing Consultant for several publishers, advising on strategy, marketing and design.

For Damian, a book cover has to consist of more than a pretty picture (although that often helps). Instead it  is an exercise in disciplined communication. A book cover has to deliver certain messages in a certain order. The trick is to do it in a way which not only seduces but is also memorable.

Easier said than done, which is precisely why good book design is so difficult and why Fixabook is so intriguing.

When fixabook was launched, the founders  kept their identities secret in order to give the site time to stand on its own two feet. Now that it has established itself as the foremost blog on design strategy, the moment has come for them to reveal themselves.

Katie has taken part in over 1,000 covers meetings during her twenty years as a publisher – and only remembers a couple where no one got cross.  She has worked on some of the book trade’s biggest brands.

Katie is passionate about the importance of good covers and – most importantly – the way they make the reader feel. She knows how hard it is to get it right when designing by committee… and how easy it is to lose sight of the consumer when every department is clamouring for a say.

Fixabook will help you to get back in touch with your readers and rediscover the art of persuasion.