Flay's Thread - Completed Animatic (22/05/10)

Flay

The old thread was full of shit, so I'm making a better one. Here are a few quick concepts for book covers I'm doing...





Obviously unfinished. The typography is basically just thrown on.

tynic

I like the top one, feels more Edinburgh. The bottom pic seems a little too Elmore Leonard-ish, somehow.

JazzBlack

tynic wrote: »

I like the top one, feels more Edinburgh. The bottom pic seems a little too Elmore Leonard-ish, somehow.

agree, top one is my favourite

Flay

The concept with the top one (as part of series) is to show the world as Rebus sees it, literally through the eyes of criminals/victims.

Mustang

What's the book about? Or what do you think it's about?

EDIT: Don't worry just read the synopsis, the top one seems more on the money, but I'm not sold on the layout.

Guy Bell

I like the top one....very William Gibson

Nappuccino

The top one might look better if you flipped the image.

srsizzy

is it normal to have the title in all lowercase with the author looming over it like that? it's kind of a pompous thing to do.

ok, nevermind, every single cover for this book has the large author name. seeing as I don't even know who he is, that's a pretty assuming and uncommon thing to do (at least in good writing...).

so anyways, you said the text is rough, but, well, looking at all the books in front of me: text takes up at least a third of the cover or more, with the exception for those which have large and significant images (paintings, etc). these are fine concepts, they don't really strike me though. I wouldn't pick up the book based off of them.

I don't really know how to critique graphic design, though, even though I understand it. I mean, there's nothing wrong with them, but there's not much to say about them (other than everyone saying "that's cool").

also, if you're trying to make a point with the image in the first one, I don't get it. I don't even know what that's a picture of besides the shoes. if it's supposed to say something about the character, it's far too subtle. people really do judge books off of covers.

Mustang

Nappuccino wrote: »

The top one might look better if you flipped the image.

Yes, try this.

tynic

srsizzy wrote: »

is it normal to have the title in all lowercase with the author looming over it like that? it's kind of a pompous thing to do.

ok, nevermind, every single cover for this book has the large author name. seeing as I don't even know who he is, that's a pretty assuming and uncommon thing to do (at least in good writing...).

Actually, that's very common with a well-known and high-selling author, and Ian Rankin is definitely both those things.

srsizzy

tynic wrote: »

srsizzy wrote: »

is it normal to have the title in all lowercase with the author looming over it like that? it's kind of a pompous thing to do.

ok, nevermind, every single cover for this book has the large author name. seeing as I don't even know who he is, that's a pretty assuming and uncommon thing to do (at least in good writing...).

Actually, that's very common with a well-known and high-selling author, and Ian Rankin is definitely both those things.

well, I think it's lame either way. I was just looking at the books in front of me, Ayn Rand didn't have it, Jonathan Safran Foer was the same size as the title, all the fantasy/sci-fi (Dan Simmons, Clive Barker, Orson Scott Card) didn't have it. I guess I don't read best-selling enough authors for them to put huge names on the covers. my main quip is that the title of the book was all lower case, though.

also, is that a guy on a roof looking down at the street? I just barely got that after reversing the canvas in Photoshop. if more of the lamp post was in making it obviously a lamp post, then there would be no confusion. at first I thought all the gray was just a wall with some random wire.

tynic

I didn't say it was universal, I just said it was common. Especially with genre fiction (looking at my bookshelf it seems particularly common for SF and crime, and not unheard of in popular science or 'literary' fiction, but of course all this is just anecdotal).

The top one reads ok to me, I got the perspective right away, but I would like to see it flipped, too, just to get a different look at it.

Mustang

It's all marketing. It depends on whether the author is better known than the book or vice versa.
Example the Da Vinci code is massive right, but Dan Browns other books are less well known. So in the case of his lesser known novels it's better to pitch Dan Brown than Deception Point.

Nappuccino

its certainly not the first, and I kind of like the aesthetic look of it.

http://www.amazon.com/Voices-Street-Philip-K-Dick/dp/0765318210/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254959495&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Ulysses-Penguin-Modern-Classics-James/dp/0141182806/ref=pd_sim_b_4

Flay

Nappuccino wrote: »

The top one might look better if you flipped the image.

I didn't even think of that. Nice one.

Anyways, the tutor liked the first idea much more (and frankly so did I) so I'm going with that one. There'll be six of these at all, each from a first person perspective. I'll reshoot the pictures I've got as well as taking some new ones.

And yeah, having Rankin's name larger is a marketing thing in my case, and it also gives the covers some visual consistency if they're in a series.

Flay

Working on some more finalised (but by no means final) images.









The text isn't working in the third one, I know. I'll fix that up in the future, right now it's time for sleep.

Kendeathwalker

that fading treatment seems a little random in some of these. the first and last ones seem to work best but if the effect interacted more with the photograph it would look better(not that this a good idea but for example if the letters curved around the beer glass in the first image.. or got watery looking on top of the glass....something like that. Right now it looks like your taking a canned item and just slapping it around like a do it yourself design program for laymen.

Flay

Indeed. I'll have to work on the type treatment. To be honest it was just a quick edit and a copy and paste job. Though it's executed poorly I wanted the type to reinforce that you're seeing through a person's eyes (hence the fading).

Any comments on the photography?

tynic

As a photograph, the only one I really like is the third one, although the hand bothers me - I'd like to see it with the flesh-tones a little desaturated, take some of the red out. As book covers, I do still like the idea of the one with the shoes, looking down - I think that's a neat image. This iteration doesn't grab me, though. The first and last pics might have a good idea in them, but the execution is lacking and my eyes just sort of gloss over them.

I guess someone who actually knows something about photography would probably be better placed to give you some tips.

Flay

I think I've decided on my final layout. There'll be five eventually (I'll need to reshoot the others) and I'll make some other adjustments (perhaps add a tiny bit of grunge to Rankin's name).

EDIT: Updated with a few more.












The title will be positioned like this:

Mustang

I've been looking at these for about 15 minutes trying to figure out what it is I don't like, and how I think they could be improved. Y'know what it is, I just think I don't like photographed book covers and I don't think I ever have.

However, I could potentially like your first one (the shoes on the ledge) if that white car wasn't in frame. It's throwing off the blance what would otherwise be a very symmetrical photograph.

I did a horrible clone stamp job on it for effect.

Flay

Mustang wrote: »

However, I could potentially like your first one (the shoes on the ledge) if that white car wasn't in frame. It's throwing off the blance what would otherwise be a very symmetrical photograph.

I did a horrible clone stamp job on it for effect.

I left the car in there to give the viewer a sense of scale (seven stories up, if I remember correctly). Also, I kind of like it, to be honest. :P



Here are some nearly final versions. The changes I made to the curves makes the pictures give off that sort of amateur vibe much more effectively than they were before, and gives them a sort of retro look (a good thing, since Rebus is always reminiscing to the past).











I'm actually quite happy with these.

Nappuccino

Yeah, i think removing the car makes that image rather bland and it removes the visual flow of the image. It might be unbalanced, but it keeps my eyes moving around it unlike the edited version (sorry Mustang)

RubberAC

I really like these
very mature, sleek designs

iglidante

I definitely think these are coming together really well now that all the elements (color bar, title, author, photo) are in place. But some of the colors aren't working for me. 3 and 4 are really strong color choices. 1 and 2 work, but don't quite pop as well. 5 feels wrong to me. I think it's the photo. My eye doesn't know where to settle.

Orikaeshigitae

"Set in Darkness" is my favourite. Nice work.

Prospicience

Yeah good stuff flay. "Let it Bleed" is my favorite, with Set in second (I think the words don't pop enough for me, bit too dark with the photo, otherwise I'd like it best I think).

Flay

Thanks everyone. Unfortunately these didn't come out quite so well in print - too dark. I know that colours on screen aren't the same as the ones that are printed, but I don't have a printer at home, meaning I have to play at least $2.00 every time I want to print a page in colour... :?


Okay, so now I'm working on developing a font. The inspiration is the art of the Haida native Canadian culture (good examples of which can be found here).

These are some development sketches, linked for hueg.

http://i33.tinypic.com/1zly8gp.jpg

http://i34.tinypic.com/2ew0eoi.jpg

http://i33.tinypic.com/6rnh47.jpg

http://i37.tinypic.com/2gtdt3d.jpg

Flay

And now in a word:





I desperately need criticism, so if anyone has anything to say I'd love to hear it.

Nappuccino

The m really doesn't read well (looks like a slide) and... I'm not sure if I like the two different level U, I pushes the eye downard into the mid section of the next letter essentially stopping your movement. I'd recomend doing something similar to the W, and just have the U be a horizontal mirror image.

Flay

I see what you mean... I can fix that. Thanks.

Along with the specifics, whats' everyone's overall response to this font?

Radar6590

I do enjoy how the stressed letter of the words are gray. Otherwise, I agree with Napp.

Flay

Radar6590 wrote: »

I do enjoy how the stressed letter of the words are gray. Otherwise, I agree with Napp.

That's just a result of poor scanning. :P

Nappuccino

it definately has the sci-fi Tech kind of feel to it... its hard to say what my main reaction is right now... i'll sleep on it for now

edit: Seriously? I like the grey/black effect lol

Grenn

I actually quite like that - nice work.

The 'O' reminds me of a cute lil' Death Star.

Only major crit is that it's a shame the horizonal 'slices' through the letters only match up some of the time.

While I think you've done a nice job here, personally speaking, I can't think of any sort of ocassion where I would use type like this. But sometimes, it's good to just create something. Keep it up!

Flay

Grenn wrote: »

Only major crit is that it's a shame the horizonal 'slices' through the letters only match up some of the time.

That's one of the things I'm going to try and adjust when I digitise the letters. Those were just slightly refined sketches.

Speaking of which...



P and R are definitely problems. Fix tomorrow, sleep now.

tynic

I don't know how to tell you this, but it appears someone has nicked a few of your letters.

Flay

tynic wrote: »

I don't know how to tell you this, but it appears someone has nicked a few of your letters.

Haven't finished all the letters yet, and I have the numbers and punctuation to do.

Flay

Progress...



X and S need to be fixed in particular.

humble

your O and Q need to descend below the baseline

also the haida art is very smooth, organic and natural, these letters are very stiff and have a sci-fi technological look to them

Flay

humble wrote: »

your O and Q need to descend below the baseline

They do, very slightly.

humble wrote: »

your O and Q need to descend below the baseline

also the haida art is very smooth, organic and natural, these letters are very stiff and have a sci-fi technological look to them

That was my initial approach, but my tutor has a thing for blocks, so I ended up getting pushed in that direction. It seems like a stupid way to teach; you'll learn how to design things in a sense, but you won't know how to make your own decisions.



EDIT: Hm... I haven't really considered what I'm going to name this font until now. Something relevant but also clever.