Judging a book by its cover? The cartoonification of romance book covers

If you have been into a bookshop recently, you will have probably seen displays of identical looking books. Modern adult romance books – the likes of which circulate frequently on BookTok, TikTok’s resident book club – often feature a similar design: two cartoon people on a simplistic colourful background, most likely with a pun in the title. These repetitive book covers have taken the publishing world by storm. Whether you gravitate towards these books or avoid them at all costs, they undoubtedly reflect an interesting trend in book design.

There is an obvious financial motivation to these book covers.

Given the extraordinary influence of TikTok, it is no surprise that publishers play into what is trending.

It allows authors and book publishers to springboard off the popularity of other similarly designed novels of the genre, and this is not a bad thing as it can allow smaller authors to reach mainstream audiences. Moreover, it is often helpful for authors to have a set design style for their books, particularly if they are of the same series or exist within the same ‘universe’, for example Tessa Bailey’s Bellinger Sisters series are very easily identifiable with the author. Cover design creates a cohesive brand image for an author or genre.

These hyper-colourful covers reflect the fun, escapist stories that these types of novels offer. Not all books need to be high-brow, innovative works of art. There is comfort to be found in books where you know what to expect before you even read the first page, and romance books offer just that. By using bright colours and cartoon imagery, the reader can expect a happy ending. This was increasingly sought-after in the pandemic, when to read about reality was often frightening, and the trend has continued into the post-pandemic world, as romance books provide an optimistic space for readers outside of the current political climate.

Nevertheless, the bright, cartoonish design poses problems for how the novel is perceived. On first glance, they could be mistaken for young adult books or displayed under the wrong sections in book shops and libraries. This is obviously problematic given the mature content and themes in many romance novels. Of course, adult romance books are allowed to contain such content, and cartoon-style covers can remove the apparent judgement from reading a ‘spicy’ book in a public setting. A problem with using these covers for a variety of romance books is that the reader could be misled, not knowing whether to expect a cute romcom, heavy spice, or a heartbreaking story. The umbrella use of cartoon covers for the majority of modern romance novels thereby risks promising something to the reader which it does not deliver, which is not a fault of the author as much as a flaw in marketing.

A negative consequence of the success of the BookTok-influenced romance genre is that it has somewhat oversaturated the market. Inventive book design has been replaced by a formulaic approach, prioritising what will be commercially successful over original artwork. Many book covers now appear almost as AI-generated artwork. Cartoon book design may foreshadow a future where all artwork is devoid of human creativity, even down to the words included within the pages.

It is important to recognise, however, that this is not a new phenomenon.

Most genres have a formula to their design that makes them easily recognisable

Most genres have a formula to their design that makes them easily recognisable. For example, Penguin Classics are all formatted the same, creating an image of what ‘canonical literature’ looks like. The young adult fantasy genre is also a prominent example. These novels often feature an image of an object overlaid with a large title – bonus points for a specific fantasy font type (think Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone). Adult romance novels themselves have been subjected to trends: in the early 2000s, the genre was inundated with pictures of conventionally attractive couples or men with waterboard abs. Thus, adult romance novels are not the only genre with copycat covers, and cartoon images are only the most recent trend for the genre. The increased popularity of the adult romance market has, however, arguably garnered more intense scrutiny than other genres. The romance genre is a predominantly female market, and that which is a ‘feminine’ interest unfortunately becomes the subject of patronisation and mockery. Consequently, the book cover design has been increasingly criticised.

It is safe to say that cartoon book covers will remain rampant in bookshops as long as demand is high. They represent a reliance on digitally generated media, one that will only grow stronger as technology advances. Nevertheless, cartoon book covers are a harmless trend. The criticism they receive is perhaps less focused on the matter itself, and instead reflects society’s disdain for media which prioritises women’s interests.