Second, after having read up a bit on Malouf and this collection, I have no idea why this cover looks the way it does. But the varnish (THE COMPLETE STORIES) is nice anyway, and the whole thing has a great presence in the store.
Is there anyone in the room who actually knows a thing or two about a thing or two and can educate the rest of us on why this design makes sense?
eh…. I dunno. Maybe cause it’s pleasing to look at and says enough for the audience it’s targeting? Maybe less is just less. And more is just more. and this needed more or less nothing to sell it…
Why, O why, did Barth emphasize the author’s name while you can barely make out “The Complete Stories”? I think the design could have been better done.
Malouf is a literary writer—Booker-shortlisted, that sort of thing. Thus, it’s his name that sells. It also means that his readership isn’t interested in gimmickry. They probably consider themselves sophisticated and this is a clean cover treatment they’d appreciate. He’s also getting up there in age, so the packaging can’t be too frenetic or deceptively young. Besides that, Malouf tends to write historical fiction. This cover is a bit contemporary given his material but also aches to be considered timeless.
If you’ve got problems with the American cover, have a retch at the offering from Malouf’s homeland: http://www.randomhouse.com.au/systempicts/9781741666113.jpg
This is a nice cover, but I feel like there are 30 other covers out there that have done the same exact thing. I vote “no” on the silly Microsoft Text Art shading effect; is it set to the “faux gold” setting? (Unless of course it’s simply the result of scanning some sort of glossy faux gold foiling?)
First off, hope everyone had a good Christmas!
Second, after having read up a bit on Malouf and this collection, I have no idea why this cover looks the way it does. But the varnish (THE COMPLETE STORIES) is nice anyway, and the whole thing has a great presence in the store.
Is there anyone in the room who actually knows a thing or two about a thing or two and can educate the rest of us on why this design makes sense?
— Ben Pieratt, 2007-12-30 18:44:00
I tap Ian B. Shimkoviak to the rescue …
— Auguste, 2008-01-01 11:48:00
eh…. I dunno. Maybe cause it’s pleasing to look at and says enough for the audience it’s targeting? Maybe less is just less. And more is just more. and this needed more or less nothing to sell it…
I tap the artist formerly known as Cdog.
— ian shimkoviak, 2008-01-01 13:07:00
Why, O why, did Barth emphasize the author’s name while you can barely make out “The Complete Stories”? I think the design could have been better done.
— terry bigham, 2008-01-01 16:21:00
Well, here’s my design translation.
Malouf is a literary writer—Booker-shortlisted, that sort of thing. Thus, it’s his name that sells. It also means that his readership isn’t interested in gimmickry. They probably consider themselves sophisticated and this is a clean cover treatment they’d appreciate. He’s also getting up there in age, so the packaging can’t be too frenetic or deceptively young. Besides that, Malouf tends to write historical fiction. This cover is a bit contemporary given his material but also aches to be considered timeless.
If you’ve got problems with the American cover, have a retch at the offering from Malouf’s homeland: http://www.randomhouse.com.au/systempicts/9781741666113.jpg
— Michael McCartney, 2008-01-02 06:40:00
Interesting that they’re both so spartan.
— Ben Pieratt, 2008-01-02 09:50:00
Rosewood: The New Cooper Black
— dave, 2008-01-02 11:24:00
This is a nice cover, but I feel like there are 30 other covers out there that have done the same exact thing. I vote “no” on the silly Microsoft Text Art shading effect; is it set to the “faux gold” setting? (Unless of course it’s simply the result of scanning some sort of glossy faux gold foiling?)
— C Wys, 2008-01-03 00:55:00
I think this may be a cover that has to be seen in the flesh to fully appreciate.
— dd, 2008-01-03 05:20:00
on with the good covers!
— mike, 2008-01-03 08:07:00
@C Wys
On the real book, “David Molouf” is in gold foil, while “The Complete Stories” is white, but shinier than the background
— Paul, 2008-02-06 02:41:00