"Woeful"
Rachel writes,
Gray318 recently did this ‘autoshapes’ cover for a friend of mine, a very serious and fine author. I think its woeful. He does, too. In fact he’s really upset about it but there’s nothing he can do.
Here ‘tis:
He and an artist friend got together and made a photo-based cover, which was rejected:
I’d like to see what the feeling is.
Well, “woeful” works for me on the first cover, too. Sorry!
The second cover is rife with possibilities, but is hard to read — especially when reduced to sizes displayed on Amazon pages, for instance. The concept is solid, though, if the details can be worked out.
What do others think?
Comments:
I’m actually drawn slightly to the first concept. The use of ‘clipart’ shapes was probably a good direction to start in, since they’re so overused in junk mail. There’s a conceptual connection there. I just can’t understand how that ‘good’ idea was taken so far in this ‘bad’ direction. This was final art and not an early comp?
The second concept leaves me completely cold.
Hi. Long time lurker here, first time commenter. I do book covers in the ghetto of the e-book industry.
Anyway, the first cover doesn’t appeal to me at all artistically, but the second cover doesn’t do it for me conceptually. My idea of junkmailers have to do with direct mail marketing and all that goes with it — catalogs, bulk rate postage, mail merge, and all that awful Advo stuff that finds its way into my little post office box every now and then. I really don’t get that sense at all from the second cover, so on that point, the first cover does a bit better conceptually; those autoshapes remind me of all the stickers I see on catalogs and envelopes.
Perhaps you could have struck a nice middle? Beautiful photo of junk mail overflowing a post office box, maybe? Or even a photo of the open back of a postal truck parked by the side of a road, so you get the concept of the “road” too. Or, if the starburst stickers are a must, photos of the actual stickers might even work — you can buy those stickers by the roll, and printers can even put a custom marketing message on them for you and junkmailers worldwide (imagine the title and author name on an actual sticker, on an actual envelope with bulk rate postage, then photographed!). Any one of a hundred ways could have worked.
I love Gray’s work, but this is really out of character. I’d love to hear the explanation for this.
Giles, your comment is interesting in that it mentions scalability. I think book designers would go crazy if this was even a minor consideration. Logos and other parts of corporate identity, absolutely. But not sure about book jackets…
Looking at this again the next day, I’m less fond of the second cover — and concept — than I was yesterday. Haven’t moved much on the first, though.
Joe, scalability is definitely something I take into consideration when doing covers. Whether it’s the smartest thing to say or consider…?
if the starburst stickers are a must, photos of the actual stickers might even work
Great idea.
This was final art and not an early comp?
As I understand it, yes.
Thanks, everyone!
I don’t love concept #1, but I also don’t hate it. Two-color covers always give me the feeling that the publisher didn’t feel strongly enough about the content to pay for a four-color treatment. I realize that’s certainly not always the case, but I can’t help feeling that way.
I love the photo for concept #2. I like the title/author type treatment, but the star elements make the overall design too hectic for me.
Well the first one should go furthur with the clip art schtick.
I hate the second one
how about adding a lobster and some butter…
also design a better realationship of the author’s first and last names.
I tried an experiment with the top version (which I think is the better concept) here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dystopos/227305407/
I think the version posted on the publisher’s website does a better job of fixing the problems with the first version and is rather good:
http://www.uqp.uq.edu.au/book_details.php?id=0702235709
Hey everyone. This is certainly a final and IS by Gray318. It’s currently published. See www.uqp.edu.au and look for ‘Patrick Holland’ or ‘Upcoming’. The published cover is exactly the same design but it uses Macdonalds blood and custard colours. On the concept, the book is a magical adventure set in subtropical Brisbane about a boy who delivers junkmail and follows an angel around all night, variously caught up in comic plots to save the world which seems to be facing appocalypse before sunrise: hence the girl’s hands with the sparkler, looking over Brisbane at Dusk. There is another rejected, possibly better design by the second cover artist (Andrew Hill), which I will try to post here, but I’m having some trouble. Can anyone give me a html tip on how to do it. Otherwise I’ll resend the pic to the forum.
Thanks everyone.
Gray318 cover is simple and has impact. However I find the black and acid yellow colours offensive. The colours of poison in nature…snakes, tree frogs etc. My main concern is that it says nothing about the book content. Some of the shapes could have been symbolic of Australia and suggestive of the angel.
It’s scary stuff having your worked picked apart on the net! I wonder if Gray318 are happy with the design?
I actually really like it as it went to print. It is a very traditional approach which visually describes the cheap devices used by companies who market directly. I would say however that what I see first in it are on sale/reduced price stickers and labels.
The second one done by the author and artist is really dreadful. What does it mean? I’m not going to spend minutes trying to read into a cover. As a purchaser I want a message/emotion/connotation immediately and not a hideous photo complete with second rate art school layout.
I agree. The final version is much better — the issues in the draft posted above having been fixed in subtle yet effective ways.
Your poor friend! That is truly, truly sad and ‘woeful’.
What a shame he has zero clout with his publisher.
You know, the publisher who along with the editor, sales department and marketing department, obvioulsy decided that this was a better way of getting people to buy the book.
His Krazy cut up cover is SO much stronger.
If only Gray had thought of the impact that Brisbane at night can have on the passing book buyer.
Gray is a total Dick. A Dick of the highest order.
Great post Rachel!!!
Wow! That first cover is just plain bad! The concept is workable, but the execution is horrendous. It’s practically illegible. The second is fine, but like other posters, I think it needs refinement. I’d have to think about it a little more than I have, but it does have a contemporary feel, for what that’s worth. It too needs some work, but it’s far more appealing then the first cover. Just my two cents.
It’s not only a woeful cover, but the sad fact is that - to add financial insult to aesthetic injury - Gray was probably paid handsomely to come up with this sorry cover…
Wherever he is now, he should hang his head in shame
Good point James.
It’s time these designers paid for their actions.
What say a group of us like-minded design ‘offficianados’ taught this bozo a lesson.
Nothing short of a full and frank apology and the proceeds of his ‘art’ to be put in trust and used to support fellow victims, of which no doubt there are many.
For once and only once, I really beleive book burnings could be justified.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/49216389@N00/230093452/
I actually really like the first book cover and can’t wait to see it in the bookstores. I think the two color treatment will pop out in a sea of 4color book covers.
The first cover is really striking! I love the use of different fonts and varied shapes juxtaposed repetitions of evenly spaced bursts of bright yellow.
It is disappointing that many of you dislike the top cover preferring the second. To me, the second is too generic. Like something you could buy from stock art. It’s really too overdone.
G’day.
Writing from Australia, home to the author of the book with the controversial cover, Patrick Holland. Quite how UQP - University of Queensland Press, which published Holland’s book as part of the prize he won at the 2005 Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards - should have come up with the great idea of going to Jonathan Gray is a good question. Presumably they had the budget, but going to the UK for an Australian cover from a small press is a pretty big step.
Anyway, the final result seems less than resolved though better as seen on the UQP website in the McDonald’s colours. It’s not great, admittedly, but it looks somewhat unfinished - out of budget? Publisher problem?
The author’s effort with cut and paste art and his friend’s help, however, is simply hilarious! I cannot believe anyone takes it seriously. He-e-ello!, as you say in the States. It’s so bad it’s not even good-bad. Mr Holland should certainly stay with his day jobs. (And, frankly, I don’t think authors should be allowed near the designers of their covers. See Lionel Shriver: http://books.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1835288,00.html)
Gray has set such a high standard for himself that this cover is a letdown. But he doesn’t deserve such a caning - “Gray is a total Dick. A Dick of the highest order.”; or “Wow! That first cover is just plain bad!”; or “For once and only once, I really beleive [sic] book burnings could be justified.”
Mr Gray is a very good designer with a unique, superb way with hand made art - this one just happens to be one of those that got away. He certainly retains an admirer in myself.
Chong
I’ll throw my .02 into this pond.
The red/yellow version on the UQP website is perfection. Screaming at you all at once, just like junkmail. Everything is important. The only way to make it any better would be to make the type BIGGER to really scream to point of cracking.
The author’s version is pretty, I guess? Makes to sense to me. Maybe it makes sense if you read the book?
The streamlined version on the Flicker page, reduces the volume so much as to render the concept null.
Okay, interesting debate.
I would have to put myself firmly in the camp of supporting the first cover. The fact it is only 2 colours… doesn’t bother me. I think the previous poster who said it would stand out on shop shelves, against a sea of CMYK, made a very good point indeed. The fact this cover seems a bit low-fi and ‘under designed’ also doesn’t bother me. If we are making connections with junk mail, then quite a lot of that tends to be non-designed. (Think of the flyers of local taxi companies/kebab shops, etc.)
It is bold and like any good book cover, possesses a certain level of intrigue, which I feel makes it successful. Hats off to the man from me. The second cover seems a bit busy, slightly clumsy and I find it hard to extract any clear message from it.