Cover Browser inspires with old covers of Sci-Fi books and more

Cover Browser features an enormous collection of book and magazine covers, especially retro stuff. It's kind of cluttered, but that's understandable for the sheer amount of covers it archives.

Magazine and book covers are meant to catch your eye instantly; after all, when you go to a dead-tree bookstore, how many books are competing for your attention at the same time? And what's the first thing you notice about a book you've just picked up?

That same design philosophy applies to websites; endless other sites are competing for the visitor's attention, and you have less than three seconds to make an impression and get that click, or catch their eye and keep them from skipping on to the next site (or book). So this is a great resource for designers, both web and otherwise. By asking yourself what catches your eye in a given design or what makes you dislike it, you might be able to get some interesting ideas for a web page or banner.