Book Covers - Eating Animals

This of course is related visually to Everything Is Illuminated and nicely creates a variegated but consistent brand for Jonathan Foer. I'm so jealous of designers who get multiple books to design upon; its seems like a much more interesting challenge to take what you've already done and riff on it while creating something new.

Does anyone anticipate this in creating their covers? You know the author isn't dying of the consumption, so he or she will likely create new works; so create a 'brand' that can be carried forward through time. Or is it just coincidental, and you've got to catch up to your previous work with the newer jacket?

— , 2009-12-07 10:41:17 -0500

Thats a good question, Chris - this is why I like this site, because of the available commentary. You need more of it.

I always pitch branding if the author is even thinks about moving in that direction. Fortunately I have the opportunity to do just that. But this cover as a stand alone dose not work for me. I see so much visual potential from "Eating Animals."

I have a feeling it's the latter. I feel like Everything Is Illuminated was designed possibly without thought of a second or third book. Especially based on Gray318's killed cover for Extremely Loud, which was then called I'm OK.
http://covers.fwis.com/everything_is_illuminated

I have mixed feelings about a constant design style throughout a novelist's (turned food critic's) career. I suppose there are incredible upsides to branding oneself in that fashion... in a swarm of other books all vying for attention it pays to have a design pattern that people can see and 'know'. Still, it presents a rut that I would think novelists, in particular, would prefer to avoid (unless your name is Patterson or Steel). NOT that I'm equating this beautiful cover to any of THOSE.

I think of Margaret Atwood who keeps a visual style close, but, like the massive genre span of her body of work, is sure to remove any attribute of "series" from cover to cover.

As a boxed set I think Foer's books would look orgasmic. As individual covers they're stunners... but they're starting to shed their individuality. As if it is 2075 and Little, Brown is reissuing his oeuvre... in a boxed set. Still, it's hard to fault them. The carnivorous-title-meets-the-herbivorous-green-of-the-background is too irresistible.

It is hard and can be limiting to approach a title trying to emulate other titles that where most likely not intended to be a brand. For this author I think having a typographic and hand-lettered solution is still open enough to be interesting and similar enough to establish a look. I can often tell a Chuck Palahniuk title by the style even though there is no established look. The Rick Moody look was interesting as well.

Do u have to get permission from the author and publishers to post the cover er what? :}

Would you not say that even if creating a one off design, you are still trying to create the feel of a brand... so the flexibility to roll it out to further titles is there if you need it?