Book Cover Mood Boards

Self-published authors often brief a cover designer with a few words and a vague feeling. A mood board of concept images gives the designer far more to work with. This repository explains how we draft genre-specific mood boards with Raphael AI, free at https://raphael.app.

Genre cues

• Thriller: "lonely figure on a wet city street at night, single streetlight, high contrast, cinematic"
• Cozy mystery: "small seaside bookshop with a cat in the window, pastel watercolour, charming"
• Fantasy: "ancient stone gate in a misty forest, glowing runes, epic painterly style"
• Romance: "two silhouettes under a blooming cherry tree at sunset, soft focus, warm tones"
• Science fiction: "vast orbital station above a blue planet, sleek hard-surface design, cold light"

Building the board

Generate eight to twelve images that share a palette. Pin them together and write one sentence under each explaining what you like: the light, the pose, the colour, or the typography space.

Working with the designer

The final cover should be created or licensed by a professional, with fonts that match genre expectations. Mood boards simply shorten the first round of revisions.

Thumbnail test

Shrink every concept to the size of an online store thumbnail. If the main shape disappears, the idea is too busy for a cover.