An Analysis of the Visual Design Elements of Preschool Children’s Book Cover

The objective of this study is to highlight the importance of children’s book cover designs, and their impact on their educational success through a close analysis of four bestseller books for preschool children in Egypt by the Arabic author and illustrator “Walid Taher”, winner of the award for best children’s book during the Cairo International Book Fair in 2013. Based on four design elements such as the typography, the illustration, the color, and the page layout, as per the “Rule of Thirds” by the painter John Thomas Smith which is used as a guideline, this study figures out how these elements are expressed and coordinated together to create an attractive cover and how cover art functions influence children. This study indicates that “Walid Taher” books are educational books; they teach a child many positive values, social, physical and educational values. “Walid Taher” combined simple text, vibrant colors and striking illustrations together to create a good page layout that enhances the visual sense of a child. Therefore, this study emphasizes that children gravitate toward covers that are represented with colorful illustrations that they are familiar with as well as strengthen their visual thinking and reading. An effective title, striking graphics, and interesting colors all contribute to an attractive cover book. Parents must involve their preschool children in choosing their books. Finally, I hope that designers should design book covers for children that grab their attention, entertain them, arouse their curiosity, and stimulate their imagination to encourage early reading.