Contest of Covers

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Sea of Rust vs. Ogre Enchanted – Contest of Covers

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Previous Match Results

Another close battle! Nevernight pulls out the victory by ONE VOTE. Many people struggled with the decision on this one, some even refusing to cast a vote because they were so stricken. The second round is going to be incredible!

Round 1 – Match 8

This is it. The final match of round 1. And it involves my only personal nomination of the whole contest: Sea of Rust. It’s up against a wonderfully illustrated cover that leaves the eye dazzled and the mind asking questions, Ogre Enchanted.

This cover has everything. A beautiful forrest, magical sparkles, some kind of magic rune, and a hooded figure (either basking or freaking out) with some considerable body hair issues. The colours are very nice here as well. Even though they’re coming from different elements, there’s a nice blend from orange to magenta to blue. And in that same gamut, it almost seems like the world is changing from Fall to Spring.

The way the light plays across the whole scene is nice. But especially how it plays with the cloak, shining through in places, showing us something but not everything. It’s a nice touch.

I can’t get over the colours in this cover. Even though there’s no foil or embossing to speak of, seeing this cover second hand really don’t do it justice. Everything bleeds into the next thing. Metal bleeding into rusty metal. Rusty metal bleeding into a rust coloured sky. Sky into sand.

The graveyard of mechanical parts ramps up curiosity. Especially when one, which looks quite whole and untouched by rust, seems to be reaching into the centre of the sun. Our title is a simple font, which I’m a big fan of. Simple doesn’t mean bad. Usually, it’s quite the opposite. Think of every cover you’ve ever seen where someone tried to use something like Comic Sans or Papyrus because ‘it’s different.’ Plus, the text has been treated to look like it’s painted directly on our rusting metal. And you know how much I like the text being part of the scene!

Which will you choose? Leave your vote in a comment below. Share this post with family and friends and stay tuned for ROUND 2, beginning soon!

Note: Between education and career, I have over 15 years of experience in the field of graphic design. While I don’t pretend to know everything about design, and it will always be extremely subjective, I feel like I can speak about it with a modicum of authority (or at the very least, I don’t sound completely clueless.)

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A Curse So Dark and Lonely vs. Nevernight (UK Edition) – Contest of Covers

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Previous Match Results

Our most recent match saw Red Rising take the win over Opposite of Always, snagging two thirds of the votes. And I know what you’re thinking. No, I didn’t vote. I wanted to, but I felt like I was too close to it to make an objective decision. Fortunately, others didn’t have that problem. However, Red Rising will have to take on Pride in the next round… yikes.

Round 1 – Match 7

A Curse So Dark and Lonely has depth. Those thorns and branches seem to go on forever. Looking at it, I find myself trying to look deeper, actually moving my head around for a better angle, hoping  to see something more. 

The text plays nicely with the foliage as well, branches threading through and between letters. Anyone who’s been following this contest knows I’m a big fan of the text and elements playing together. 

Color scheme and aesthetic are both on point as well. It’s night time. I’m lost. I’ve stumbled into something that has massive thorn bushes as far as the eye can see and I have no way of getting out. I’m stuck and feeling hopeless. Very well done.

Nevernight is a completely different animal. When it was nominated, the UK version was specified, so that’s what we’re looking at here today.

On the surface, the imagery is already effective, but then we look deeper. Other images emerge from the feathers and now we’re seeing people and things from the story. Once having read the story you could even go back and see actual events blatantly taking place (though anyone who hasn’t read wont make sense or spoiler from them.)

If the design itself doesn’t speak to you personally, there have been reports on the internet of copies of this book selling for insane amounts of money. The cover certainly isn’t the only reason for that, but I’m sure it contributes. 

Which will you choose? Leave your vote in a comment below. Share this post with family and friends and let’s see how many votes we can pull in this week!

Note: Between education and career, I have over 15 years of experience in the field of graphic design. While I don’t pretend to know everything about design, and it will always be extremely subjective, I feel like I can speak about it with a modicum of authority (or at the very least, I don’t sound completely clueless.)

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Red Rising vs Opposite of Always – Contest of Covers

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Previous Match Results

After a few close ones, we’re back to blow-outs! Pride wiped the floor with Harry Potter, even if it was the Slytherin Anniversary Edition. Many voters voiced their frustration at having to vote against the beloved Harry Potter, but Pride is an absolutely beautiful cover!

Round 1 – Match 6

Oh my heart! I’m not sure I can take this week’s match up… Although I didn’t nominate Red Rising, it is one of my all-time favourite books. However, as we’ve said before, we’re not voting on the book as a whole. Just the cover. Let’s get into it.

Black and red. Very cool, very classic. The style of the graphic is an odd choice. It’s not simple enough to be minimalist, but not detailed enough to be intricate. It floats somewhere in the middle, which I think might be a missed opportunity. The title running up the side is nice. A little more uncommon and leaves lots of “white” space, which you all know I like. Where this cover really excels is as a part of the trilogy. All very similar design. One red, one yellow, one blue. However, this contest is for single covers only, so that really shouldn’t be taken into too much consideration.

Opposite of always is a really different cover. The colours are attention grabbing, for sure. The art style is great and the illustration leaves me with questions. Which direction should we follow the stairs? Up as we watch a couple get together? Or down as one drifts apart? And why does the dude change his clothes while the lady does not? Font is an odd choice, but it works. Would have liked to see it more engrained in the graphic. Curve of the S tucked behind her hair, a foot wrapped around the P. Stuff like that.

Which will you choose? Leave your vote in a comment below. Share this post with family and friends and let’s see how many votes we can pull in this week!

Note: Between education and career, I have over 15 years of experience in the field of graphic design. While I don’t pretend to know everything about design, and it will always be extremely subjective, I feel like I can speak about it with a modicum of authority (or at the very least, I don’t sound completely clueless.)

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Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 20th Anniversary Edition vs. Pride – Contest of Covers

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Previous Match Results

Our fourth match was the closest one yet! A mere 2 votes gave the eerie Salt to the Sea the win over the ornate Gilded Wolves. We’re now at the halfway point of the first round. If you thought it’s been hard to decide so far, just wait until the second round!

I’d also like to take a moment to thank everyone who has been taking the time to visit these posts and cast their votes. It’s massively appreciated!

Round 1 – Match 5

I think this week’s match is going to be a tough decision for a lot of people. I know we’ve all been trying to keep decisions unbiased based on the inside of the book, but we’re talking about HARRY FREAKIN’ POTTER this week!

And it’s not just any Harry Potter cover. The specific cover nominated was the 20th Anniversary Slytherin cover. (which might actually count against it!) The entire series of covers were a polar opposite to the originals which were very animated with lots of action happening everywhere the eye wandered. These anniversary editions are simple. But as we’ve discussed before, simple isn’t always easy.

A beautiful shade of green for the “white space” (yes, it’s still called white space, regardless of the color, even when black) with a beautiful version of the house badge. The Harry Potter font at the top has been untouched from the original, which is a really nice string to keep it connected to original design. This cover (as well as the others in the series) seems to be aiming at looking like a literary classic, which, let’s face it, IT IS!

Pride is something special. Beautiful metal appearance that, if real, could only be handmade and extremely expensive. 

Juxtaposing this initial high-class, costly look is the title, hastily spray painted complete with several runs. It’s not just a font overlaid on the image, either. Look at the way the spray differs when crossing some of the decorative edging. It really looks like some rich family plaque has been defiled, and that really works for this design overall.

Which will you choose? Leave your vote in a comment below. Share this post with family and friends and let’s see how many votes we can pull in this week!

Note: Between education and career, I have over 15 years of experience in the field of graphic design. While I don’t pretend to know everything about design, and it will always be extremely subjective, I feel like I can speak about it with a modicum of authority (or at the very least, I don’t sound completely clueless.)

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Salt to the Sea vs. The Gilded Wolves – Contest of Covers

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Previous Match Results

Match 3 was a close one, which was nice to see after two complete blowouts. Hot Dog Girl managed to knock off The Hate U Give. I would all that an upset as far as book popularity goes, but I’m glad to see that we’re all voting based on the quality of the cover design and not based on feelings on the book as a whole!

Round 1 – Match 4

Today’s match will see the highly decorative going up against rock-solid design and photography.

Ruta Sepetys’ Salt to the Sea is a chilling cover to look at. From the imagery to color scheme, the message is pretty clear: ‘abandon hope, all who enter here.’ Without knowing anything about the book itself, we know there’s a storm brewing and we’re in the middle of a large body of water with nothing but a few life preservers around us. Is rescue coming? Is something else coming? I could look at this cover all day.

The Gilded Wolves, by Roshani Chokshi, is quite the opposite. It gives me more of a feeling of hope and growth, but maybe with a bit of exclusion mixed in. Again, if we’re looking at the cover alone without knowing anything about the book, we aren’t told much. We’re on the other side of what might be the front gate to wealthy property? Gilded Wolves may be a reference to rich people who are also cruel, who might live at the very property we’ve been shut out of. It sure is pretty, though. 

I like that the title has been made part of the image. If not for the difference in color, it looks like it could be part of the metalwork, and notice the way a leaf has come forward to obscure just a portion of the letter V.

This might be another tough one, but I’ve been wrong before.

Which will you choose? Leave your vote in a comment below.

Note: Between education and career, I have over 15 years of experience in the field of graphic design. While I don’t pretend to know everything about design, and it will always be extremely subjective, I feel like I can speak about it with a modicum of authority (or at the very least, I don’t sound completely clueless.)

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Hot Dog Girl vs. The Hate U Give – Contest of Covers

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Previous Match Results

Match 2 has come to close and it was an absolute blow out. Jackaby snagged every single vote! Four Dead Queens is a fine cover, but this contest is for the very best of the very best. Voting might be easy now, but it’ll only get tougher and tougher as we get deeper into the rounds.

Round 1 – Match 3

Now we come the contest of the girl standing front and center. One holds a sign, the other wears a Hot Dog costume. 

Hot Dog girl is a fantastic illustration. The art is well done and the style is cool. If I didn’t know if was a novel, I might think it’s the cover to a graphic novel. Notice the level of detail. It’s not just carnival rides in the background, there’s also a bunch of trees. These people aren’t just standing on some purple background. We can see the lines to the cement pads making up the ground. And the trash lying around sporadically is a really nice and realistic touch.

I haven’t read this one, but I’d wager that when being introduced to various characters In the book, readers are likely to flip back and see if that character appears on the cover.

The title font isn’t bad, but it could be better. I’d prefer to see something a little cleaner. Take that slight squiggle out of it and I’d have no issue at all. The colour is really great. Gives me the impression of perpetual sunset. Very interesting.

The Hate U Give goes the opposite way. The key is simple. Clean, white, ‘less is more’ approach. A simple cover done well is impressive. Simple design isn’t simple to do. But I can’t count how many times a cover with a lot of white space has drawn my eye.It can be sitting on a shelf surrounded by full-colour, graphically intense covers and still I end up looking to the one with white space.

The only thing I would have done differently is to give Starr’s sign a bit of colour or maybe an outline. Without, her hands, legs and top of her head all seem to be floating. It’s easy enough to put together that she’s holding a sign, but for a split second it’s just a bunch of autonomous body parts.

Which will you choose? Leave your vote in a comment below.

Note: Between education and career, I have over 15 years of experience in the field of graphic design. While I don’t pretend to know everything about design, and it will always be extremely subjective, I feel like I can speak about it with a modicum of authority (or at the very least, I don’t sound completely clueless.)

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Jackaby v. Four Dead Queens – Contest of Covers

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Previous Match Results

The results from Match 1 are in, and it’s a landslide. Ink dominated Children of Blood and Bone, getting 90% of votes. Children and Blood and Bone would have had a good chance at beating some of the other covers in the tournament, but it ended up competing against near-perfection, as far as design is concerned. People have also mentioned that IRL there’s foil involved in the Ink cover, which may have swayed that final 10% into voting the other way!

Round 1 – Match 2

Two solid entries for match 2. This might be a tough decision for a lot of people. Let’s find out.

Jackaby has a lot going on, in a good way. Many things to look at, within different levels. It’s one of those covers that somehow manages to show two completely different images, at the same time, without either one of them becoming muddled and losing detail.

The title font is a bit of risk. Going with something hand written usually is in design. It can add a degree of authenticity to a design, and if its someone’s actual handwriting, you could have a literal one-of-kind typeface. The other side of that is legibility. Some handwriting looks so dynamic, but can’t be deciphered by the top experts in the fields of linguists, etymology, and pre-school teachers combined. However, I don’t think very many people would have trouble reading Jackaby, so it’s a risk that paid off, in my opinion. 

Four dead Queens also gives our eyes a lot to take it. A wonderful illustration which immediately starts giving weight to the book’s title as well as some insight into the story. The crowns are all very different, so could this mean Queens from different kingdoms, or just ladies with varied taste? (I haven’t read this book—or Jackaby for that matter) And who can ignore the blood?

The font is unique, but not weird. Too often you see a design using something different for the sake of different. And as we’ve seen many times before, different isn’t automatically good. Only when it’s done right. And this is. Also, the effects on the typeface giving it some depth and the little “ting” as we call it, on the second D, almost makes it look suited for jewellery, fitting in with the overall theme.

Which will you choose? Leave your vote in a comment below.

 

Note: Between education and career, I have over 15 years of experience in the field of graphic design. While I don’t pretend to know everything about design, and it will always be extremely subjective, I feel like I can speak about it with a modicum of authority (or at the very least, I don’t sound completely clueless.)

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Ink vs. Children of Blood and Bone – Contest of Covers

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Finally! The Contest of Covers has begun! And we have quite a pairing for a very first matchup. The runaway train that is Children of Blood and Bone vs a lesser known, but absolutely fantastic rendering with Ink.

Let’s talk Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone first. This might get me killed to say, but I do not like this cover. At all. To be fair, I’ve seen a lot of people rant and rave about how much they love this cover. But since the first day I saw it, my reaction was: eeeeewww…

Credit where credit is due, cover artist on this one is Rich Deas. Among his accomplishments, he did covers for the Six of Crows duology and a series called The Demonata, which are really great, especially when looking at them all together. Children of Blood and Bone is another story. It just didn’t land the way many of his other covers have. Originally, I thought the figure at the bottom of the cover was sloppy and odd-looking. But now that I’m taking the time to really look and study, the detail on that element is quite good.

The smoke, or whatever it’s supposed to be, rising from that figure’s head is a whole other thing. There are a few parts of that seems to be doing something interesting, but the majority of it looks juvenile. And don’t get me started on the font. I’m a big believer in the font having a purpose. This just seems like it’s trying to be weird for the sake of weird.

Illustrated by Jamie Gregory and designed by Andrew Biscomb, Ink by Alice Broadway is a book (and cover) that I was completely unaware of when planning this contest. But it’s wonderful. Look at all the flowing art, each piece running into the next. The imagery, both hidden and plain, give they eye lots and lots to do. It has me wondering if we’re looking at pieces of the story found inside the cover. 

My only criticism would be the title. It’s pretty small. However, sitting inside the only portion with striking white lines, it really draws the eye, so maybe the size of the title isn’t a huge concern.

I do wonder what this cover would look like with a series of coloured illustrations. The duo-tone definitely works, but a full colour might look amazing. At the same time, it might ruin everything. You’d have to see it to know for sure.

Those are my opinions, but you have to make up your own mind. What cover do you like better? Children of Blood and Bone or Ink? Vote in the comments below. 

Note: Between school and work, I have over 15 years of experience in graphic design. While I don’t pretend to know everything about design, and it will always be extremely subjective, I feel like I can speak about it without sounding completely clueless. 

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A Preview of The Contest of Covers!

Posted on by J.W. Martin

It’s almost here. Can you feel it? Are you excited? ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!

Oh… I guess you’re not since it really hasn’t happened yet…

BUT, I have a little preview for you all. I used a random bracket generator (which people normally use to organize sports tournaments) and all the first rounds matchups have been decided.

Might be a little hard to see now, but nothing to worry about. Each cover will get the unyielding spotlight and discussion before any votes need to be cast. (I won’t be voting on any matchups unless a tie-breaker is needed.)

Tomorrow, the first match will be posted and discussed. Then the world is free to vote. A few days later, the next matchup will be posted. Rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat, until we’ve been through all matchups.

Thanks for checking in, and I’ll see you tomorrow for our first matchup!

Fun fact about this post: I’m watching playoff hockey as I put this together. The parallels are unexpected and a little alarming.

 

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One Week Until… The Contest of Covers!

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Covers will fight! Covers will die! And after all is said and done, one cover will see be swathed in design glory!

• Nominate your favourite book cover (or multiple covers) via comments on this blog, twitter, or instagram.
• Everyone will vote on each match-up, using the same blog/twitter/instagram comments.
• It will be bracket/single-elimination style.
• First round will start with 16 covers (maybe 32 depending on the amount of nominations)

Round 1 starts May 10th! See you there!

Fun fact about this post: The Contest of Covers needs no fun facts!