Note: We apologize for the lack of updates in the past week. Our firm, Fwis, has relocated to NYC and it took a while to move all of our whatnots and get situated. Posting will resume its normal schedule as of today.
This cover cracks me up because I originally took it as a funny play on parenting. It turns out that this was an incorrect assessment and that the book deals with a child haunted by a demon, but nevertheless, the strong contrast between the title and imagery does a wonderful job of pulling your attention and leaving you curious.
The composition and typography are passable, if not nice, but more importantly, they don’t interfere with the concept, which is more than enough to get the average passerby interested.
But the real credit here goes to whoever found the imagery and coupled it with the title.
I like the shape treatment with the color in the background—it brings further attention to the center of the book and title while mimicking a fire. The wood cut is great, but for a treatment, in general, it is as you say, passable. I mean in general it is just a very safe idea, very pleasant and reminds me thoroughly of Mark Abrams work.
Nice that you moved to the City there FWIS. Good luck.
This is a refreshing cover in a world of photography, and more specifically, stock photography. Covers like this are a constant reminder for the need to continually find a solution out of the accepted (often corporate) norm. Though time does not always allow a solution like this, we should always keep the possibility in mind.
I could probably over-critique some minute details in the cover, but I prefer to let the originality and effectiveness of the cover speak for itself. Great jacket!
You know, Bert, here I am always thinking to myself, “How can I find a solution that conforms to the (often corporate) norm? Man, if ONLY I could just hit upon that safe, predictable solution, I’d be golden. . .”
Sorry. But your advice just struck me as unintentionally hilarious, like if Polonius (from Hamlet, natch) had been a designer.
Now I think I’ll go back to browsing Getty and Corbis. . . and that den of iniquity, iStockphoto. . . [Ha!]
I think it is very easy for us to settle for what will pass through easily and swiftly, and at times (as visual communicators) that is our job (especially if we simply desire to see the next paycheck). But, to get locked into a mindset like that can be a very dangerous and uncreative thing. Standards and solutions that rely on what is popular and common will die out, what makes us good communicators is our processes and how we think outside of what we have been told. We don’t “just” make things look pretty, we have minds to creatively solve problems.
Christian, I don’t really understand your comment…the first comment seems like sarcasm, the second a stab at cerebral humor, and the third like a really bad idea.
I love this cover. Sure the type is a little sterile, but it seems intentional, and works to let the art speak for itself. What a great title, too.
Am I the only one who thinks of “Where the Wild Things Are ” when the look at this cover. There is something about that wild eyed creature on the left that just has “Where the Wild Things Are ” children’s illustrations written all over it. And on that note, I think that is a huge part of the naive, yet sinister nature of it all. A happy balance of comedic devilishness.
here is what I mean:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.peekaboopicks.com/images/v1i12/features/wildthings-3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://peekaboopicks.com/features/&h=322&w=401&sz=42&hl=en&start=59&um=1&tbnid=3q_WzZwmhXYSMM:&tbnh=100&tbnw=124&prev=/images?q=Where+the+Wild+Things+Are+&start=42&ndsp=21&svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&sa=N
I think its a beauty. Unfortunately this scan doesn’t really do it justice. In person, the book has been printed on an ivory mohawk-type paper, and the type is embossed and shiny, giving it a great tactile quality. The art wraps to the back, and the crop on the spine looks great on my shelf. Seeing it here on the screen, you miss half the fun of the printed design.
Has that woodcut/printmaking feel to it. Plus I love illustrations on book covers… nice colors, and the title ain’t half bad either. I bet it’s even more bold in person.
I enjoy this cover 100% more than the Sweeney cover that was more recently posted. Great, great balance here. The cover pallet is superb. The text/box formating is spot-on. I really love the orange ebbing from the textbox. Awesome use of antique graphics. Sweet…
Note: We apologize for the lack of updates in the past week. Our firm, Fwis, has relocated to NYC and it took a while to move all of our whatnots and get situated. Posting will resume its normal schedule as of today.
This cover cracks me up because I originally took it as a funny play on parenting. It turns out that this was an incorrect assessment and that the book deals with a child haunted by a demon, but nevertheless, the strong contrast between the title and imagery does a wonderful job of pulling your attention and leaving you curious.
The composition and typography are passable, if not nice, but more importantly, they don’t interfere with the concept, which is more than enough to get the average passerby interested.
But the real credit here goes to whoever found the imagery and coupled it with the title.
— Ben Pieratt, 2007-09-04 13:48:00
I like the shape treatment with the color in the background—it brings further attention to the center of the book and title while mimicking a fire. The wood cut is great, but for a treatment, in general, it is as you say, passable. I mean in general it is just a very safe idea, very pleasant and reminds me thoroughly of Mark Abrams work.
Nice that you moved to the City there FWIS. Good luck.
— Ian S., 2007-09-04 14:24:00
This made me laugh when I saw it on the shelf a while back so, I give it points for that.
— dave, 2007-09-05 07:18:00
This is a refreshing cover in a world of photography, and more specifically, stock photography. Covers like this are a constant reminder for the need to continually find a solution out of the accepted (often corporate) norm. Though time does not always allow a solution like this, we should always keep the possibility in mind.
I could probably over-critique some minute details in the cover, but I prefer to let the originality and effectiveness of the cover speak for itself. Great jacket!
— Bert, 2007-09-05 08:25:00
You know, Bert, here I am always thinking to myself, “How can I find a solution that conforms to the (often corporate) norm? Man, if ONLY I could just hit upon that safe, predictable solution, I’d be golden. . .”
Sorry. But your advice just struck me as unintentionally hilarious, like if Polonius (from Hamlet, natch) had been a designer.
Now I think I’ll go back to browsing Getty and Corbis. . . and that den of iniquity, iStockphoto. . . [Ha!]
— Christian in NYC, 2007-09-05 09:05:00
I think it is very easy for us to settle for what will pass through easily and swiftly, and at times (as visual communicators) that is our job (especially if we simply desire to see the next paycheck). But, to get locked into a mindset like that can be a very dangerous and uncreative thing. Standards and solutions that rely on what is popular and common will die out, what makes us good communicators is our processes and how we think outside of what we have been told. We don’t “just” make things look pretty, we have minds to creatively solve problems.
— Bert, 2007-09-05 09:13:00
Christian, I don’t really understand your comment…the first comment seems like sarcasm, the second a stab at cerebral humor, and the third like a really bad idea.
I love this cover. Sure the type is a little sterile, but it seems intentional, and works to let the art speak for itself. What a great title, too.
— nate s., 2007-09-05 09:50:00
By the way, I was just over at The Book Design Review blog and ran into this:
http://www.cafepress.com/bellyitcher
Made me think of this cover right away.
— Tal, 2007-09-05 10:07:00
Am I the only one who thinks of “Where the Wild Things Are ” when the look at this cover. There is something about that wild eyed creature on the left that just has “Where the Wild Things Are ” children’s illustrations written all over it. And on that note, I think that is a huge part of the naive, yet sinister nature of it all. A happy balance of comedic devilishness.
— Ian S., 2007-09-05 15:00:00
here is what I mean:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.peekaboopicks.com/images/v1i12/features/wildthings-3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://peekaboopicks.com/features/&h=322&w=401&sz=42&hl=en&start=59&um=1&tbnid=3q_WzZwmhXYSMM:&tbnh=100&tbnw=124&prev=/images?q=Where+the+Wild+Things+Are+&start=42&ndsp=21&svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&sa=N
— Ian S., 2007-09-05 15:02:00
I think its a beauty. Unfortunately this scan doesn’t really do it justice. In person, the book has been printed on an ivory mohawk-type paper, and the type is embossed and shiny, giving it a great tactile quality. The art wraps to the back, and the crop on the spine looks great on my shelf. Seeing it here on the screen, you miss half the fun of the printed design.
— Ivan, 2007-09-05 17:56:00
Has that woodcut/printmaking feel to it. Plus I love illustrations on book covers… nice colors, and the title ain’t half bad either. I bet it’s even more bold in person.
— Blake, 2007-09-06 05:34:00
I enjoy this cover 100% more than the Sweeney cover that was more recently posted. Great, great balance here. The cover pallet is superb. The text/box formating is spot-on. I really love the orange ebbing from the textbox. Awesome use of antique graphics. Sweet…
— C-Dog, 2007-09-08 16:17:00
I think this is boring. It reeks of tdc award box ticking, and the illustrations is soft and irrelevant.
— Nils, 2007-09-10 15:04:00
love it! I believe this is a posada woodcut and I couldnt think of anything better for a book about demons and the underworld.
— chaz, 2007-09-11 08:59:00
“and the illustrations is soft and irrelevant.”
I’m curious as to why you think the illustration is irreverent if the story is about a child’s demon.
— jack, 2007-09-12 14:08:00
sorry, ‘irrelevent.’ oops. :)
— jack, 2007-09-12 14:08:00
La ilustración original de la portada pertenece a la colección de grabados de José Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913) , artista popular mexicano.
— Fernando Rodríguez, 2007-09-18 20:24:00
La ilustracion està muy bien manejada sobretodo el uso correcto de color, pero creo que le falta fuerza de formas y mejor manejo de la linea.
— leonardo ariza ardila, 2007-11-13 12:53:00