This is a chapter for all you newbie requesters, or the requesters who think they know how to request, but actually don't. 

WARNING: This will be a longer, more in depth chapter. Also I, myself, am not a good requester, which is why I started making graphics to begin with. So bear with me and if you think I left anything out feel free to comment. This is my personal opinion on how to request based off things I've seen/experienced while making graphics on wattpad.

COVER TYPE

There are three main cover types. Minimal (vector), simple and manipulated (manip). If you don't know what these are, I give some basic explanations in the faq chapter of this book. If you still have questions about them you can also look at the examples given in the rules/examples chapter. If you don't know what they are after that, I'm not sure I can help you.

Sometimes you won't know exactly what type you want. So if you give two types that you'd like me to try out, make sure you give ideas for both types of covers because what might work for a simple or manip cover may not work as a minimal cover.

TITLE/SUBTITLE/AUTHOR

Pretty self-explanatory. But here are a few things that designers look at when they review a request.

01. Length of title/subtitle. Depending on how long (or how short) your title is makes a big difference on how a cover will turn out. One to three words, in my opinion, is the best length for a title. Something like 'the extraordinary journey of jack wilde' is an example of a title that is too long. Words like 'journey' and 'extraordinary' are, by themselves, long words and won't fit nicely across a cover to begin with. Then to add even more with it ends up making a cover look cluttered and unorganized.

That is not to say that all long titles don't work, there are just very few instances that all words fit well together. Same goes for subtitles. Use a short statement (ten words at most) or it will end up taking up too much space that could be left for the title and or imagery.

02. Author name. Designers prefer actual names. 'Nina Evans' (yeah, chaosdearest- I'm using you as an example <3) is a great author name. It looks professional. There are no numbers or symbols and it isn't too long/too short. Examples of not so good author names: 'deb' or 'schoolgirlaesthetic_345'.

SHORT SUMMARY

There is a reason I put 'short' before 'summary'. What I'm looking for are key plot points or what you believe is the most important thing about your book that I need to know and that will help with creating ideas for the cover. So that does not mean four paragraphs with dialogue in between. Just a few lines about the main character(s) and what events help shape the main theme(s) of the plot.

GENRE

I don't normally ask for the genre of the book in my forms, but a lot of designers do. This is self-explanatory. Whatever genre you categorize your book as on wattpad you put it here. Some designers have specific rules stating that they don't make graphics for certain genres, normally being: werewolf, vampire, lgbtq+, anime, which I assume is why they ask for it because sometimes people like to request for a genre anyway even when it states specifically that the designer doesn't make it.

In my opinion, each person should have an equal opportunity for a nice cover no matter what the genre may be. Some designers feel otherwise and are comfortable with certain topics/genres. Even with that said there are some genres of books that I've had experience in making graphics for and know that I'm not good at and am less willing to attempt.

MOOD/COLOR SCHEME

The mood of a cover can be one of the biggest factors in setting up a story and catching the readers attention (this goes for color scheme as well).

01. The mood (or tone). I don't mind if it just says 'light'. But that is still considered vague. Instead you could say, 'light, airy, summer/beach vibes'. Or 'dark, ominous, with a hint of hope'. Remember, descriptive words are your friends when it comes to addressing the mood of your book.

02. Color scheme. This comes most in handy, at least for me, when dealing with minimal/vector covers because I'm building an image from scratch instead of searching for one. Knowing what colors you like (or don't like) will really help with that. Putting 'pastels' is not okay. You can make any color into a pastel shade so you need to be more specific. 'I'd like light blues and yellows or oranges. Or maybe a minty green with a light grey' is a good example of describing a color scheme.

Colors can make or break a cover. You don't want neon splashed all over an already bright image. You want colors that compliment and or contrast each other. You don't want them battling for the spotlight because that just hurts the eyes to look at.

IDEAS

One of the most important things is to know what you want for your cover. Putting 'work your magic' or 'whatever you think looks best' isn't going to help me in the slightest. Yes, I may ask for a summary, but still, I haven't read your entire book word for word or know the characters, so asking me to pull something out of thin air will most likely get you denied when requesting.

Another thing that I see a lot of requesters do is put the most general (or vague) idea. 'A couple being cute', 'a girl laughing'. I'm not going to say I can't find pictures for those things, because I can, but it's been done before... so. many. times. Flat out - it's boring. And as a designer, when I see something like that in a request it makes me think that you don't really know what you want and it ends up seeming generic, so I end up denying most, if not all, of those requests.

Here is an example of a better form of that vague request idea: 'I'd like a girl on the cover, preferably black with big naturally curly hair. I want her to be laughing or smiling and she doesn't need to be facing the camera straight on. Maybe she is at the beach or somewhere pertaining to the outdoors. And the cover doesn't have to be super light, but it should have a content/summery feel'.

What this request did right:
01. Gave a subject (the girl)
02. Gave an emotion (smiling/laughing)
03. Gave a setting (outdoors)
04. Gave a tone (light-ish and content)

This is not to say that you need to go into so much detail that it's overwhelming. Here is an example of being too specific when requesting. Do not be this person, I will deny the request on the spot. 'I'd like a black girl on the cover with her hair pulled up into a bun. She can be smiling or laughing. I'd like her to be holding an ice cream cone in one hand and a cell phone in the other because my book deals with social media. I want her to be in a blue and yellow stripped top and jean shorts, preferably wearing sunglasses. And I want her to be standing outside an ice cream shop with one of those chalkboard signs on the side with the subtitle written on it in a cute swirly font'. And the person checks off simple cover for the type.

No. Just no. Please. I ask you, go out and find a single image that has exactly that and then come find me. Even as a manip that would be hard to put together.

With that said, if you are looking for a vector cover with a person on it, giving specific things like: ethnicity, hair color, skin tone, pose, possible background setting, etc... will make it easier for me to compose a cover from scratch.

PASSWORD

I've been asked multiple questions about this, but to be honest it's pretty self-explanatory much like a lot of things in the form. A password, in most cases, is used as a way of getting into something that is secret or selective. If you don't know what it is, you don't get in, which is why designers like to use this method.

We each have our own respective rules that we hope you guys take the time to read and understand. We don't put them there for fun. We put them there so all requesters have an equal chance of being accepted.

Cover requesting is a two-way street. If you can't do your part (aka read rules and fill out the form given by the designer and complete payment if there is one) then I sure as shit don't want to waste my free time on your request. That is why I asked for a password, and change the password from time to time, so I know you people have actually read what I've written. 

I think that's about it. If you still have questions feel free to ask in the faq chapter and if you'd like even more information on how to request go check out the link to pasteldevils-'s requester's guide given in the first comment of this chapter.