This month in Critique Corner we have this charming little cover from John DeJordy. Thanks so much for submitting it John! We appreciate your participation.
Take it away Cathy!
Cathy Helms:
The artwork on this cover is charming and very well done! I assume from the childlike playfulness of the illustration, that this is a children’s book loosely based on historical figures and/or legends, thus the tie to historical fiction genre?
I spot the glowing cat eyes while viewing the cover fairly large, but at thumbnail size, they are hard to pick up on. And there is a lot of dead or unused space below those eyes (the dark opening of the cave) that could have been used for a sub-title or even the weaving in of the title itself. I’d suggest a sub-title in that space – or a reviewer’s quote. Something should be there as all that black seems to draw my eye away from the title entirely. Or draw in a bit more of the cat’s features – faint stripes, front legs with a paw reaching out?
The title font is playful and colorful, but it could be several points larger. The title should dominate the front cover with the artwork the secondary feature. But the author’s name is clear and a good size along the bottom. Well done.
I would have drawn a custom shape box for the copy on the back cover so you could better conform the copy around the character. And I would raise the copy to line up across the top of the cover layout with the title on the front cover – thus also allowing for the copy to be a point size or two larger. The copy is a bit tough to read and I am no fan of the black stroke on the white text either. But I do understand the struggle to get the copy legible over the top of such a rich and busy illustration. This is a good case for less copy and splitting it up around that character on the left by placing the bulk of it at the top, and the balance of it at the bottom. There is more space along the bottom that could be utilized better. And a low opacity color fill shape behind the copy would help the copy stand out a bit more than using a black stroke on the letters.
The capital ‘P’ on the first word on the back cover needs to be properly formatted and kerned. And due to working around a shape on the left, I would suggest right justifying the copy so at least one side is all aligned. The title is hard to read on the spine, so I’d recommend shifting it down so it sits over the dark areas of the rock.
Overall, a beautiful illustration as a base for this cover – the text just needs some polishing up.
What do you think, Tamian?
Tamian Wood:
I don't know about you Cathy,
but I quite like this cover. The characters are positively charming. There is a
bit of dead space that could have used a sub title, or a tagline, or a blurb,
equidistant between the eyes in the cave and the mouse horse's nose. It doesn't
bother me soooo much, it just seems like a wasted opportunity. Like some
kind of focal point could be there.
The thing that bothers me the most on this cover is the title. The font is an
ok choice, considering it seems like a children's book, but the colour
treatment just comes out of nowhere.
While it's true, contrast is good, It's always best to choose some colour from within the image, so that it looks like a cohesive colour story. So, for instance, had the designer/author chosen a bright green or yellow, it might still have stood out, but in a good way.
Here's my take on it...
We do hope that our readers might pick up on a few tidbits of good design points while reading our commentary. And again, we thank our volunteer authors for willingly submitting their book covers for a free and no-strings-attached constructive critique of their designs.
Until next time, be safe and be well!
Anyone wishing to submit their cover for our two graphic designers to critique, please contact either designer directly:
Tamian at designer@tamianwood.com
Cathy at chelms@avalongraphics.org
Due to their schedules, future critiques will be posted here once a month on the day following the Cover and Book of the Month announcement (i.e the end of each month) and often re-shared on Tamian and Cathy's individual blogs. as long as we have enough submissions.
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Really interesting thoughts and ideas!
ReplyDeletethank you Rebecca
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