I do fondly remember those opening credits. Love them. But I have to say that in comparison (factoring out the animation element), this book cover doesn’t even approach the same level of quality. I don’t hate the cover, but I’m sort of burnt out on skyscraper shots. It seems there have been a high number of them appearing on this site lately, no? Is it a new trend in design? The power of the cityscape… ?
This design works painfully well with the title of the book; almost a little too literal? Also, why the monochrome effect? I’d try to work with a broader color pallet here… the colors a cityscape has to offer. And jazz up the type. It all kind of puts me to sleep. (But so would the text inside.) Not bad, not great.
That “type in space” thing is really hard to pull off. Also, this cover is from 2002…I bet skyscraper shots were farm fresh back then. I think the cover works great.
OMG! Those Panic Room credits are AMAZING!! Thanks so much for posting them. I think true godliness would have been achieved if Jodie Foster walked across the lawn and in front of the director’s name at the end of the sequence – and into her first scene.
I don’t think you can compare a book cover to film credits. But both are treated nicely and have their merits. I would smile to see a cover like this on a shelf. Could have been real bland. But instead it ads a deeper dimension and depth to an otherwise flat and familiar cityscape scene…
I guess. But it just seems like such a generic visual solution. Cities can mean so many things, and probably encompass at least one major element (alienation, industrialization, money, crime, poverty, chaos, the centers of civilization, etc.) of most of the books that have been published. I guess it just doesn’t impress me on a design level.
I would say the book cover works better than the Panic Room title sequence because it is more closely related to the design problem. The Panic Room titles may look cool, but it doesn’t really fit the situation.
This book cover predates Panic Room, anyway. Since it came out in 2001. I’m more a fan of the book’s content than its cool cover, anyway. I have to say, though, that the superimposition of a structure onto the city’s face is probably the perfect design solution in this case.
I have nothing to say about this other than that I love it.
Also, here’s a link to the opening credits of Panic Room:
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— Ben Pieratt, 2008-04-14 10:38:00
Very cool. I would like to see the title a bit larger to create a main focus somewhere, but still great.
Man, I forgot how awesome those credits for Panic Room were. Thanks for sharing.
— Ryan Scheife, 2008-04-14 11:45:00
I do fondly remember those opening credits. Love them. But I have to say that in comparison (factoring out the animation element), this book cover doesn’t even approach the same level of quality. I don’t hate the cover, but I’m sort of burnt out on skyscraper shots. It seems there have been a high number of them appearing on this site lately, no? Is it a new trend in design? The power of the cityscape… ?
This design works painfully well with the title of the book; almost a little too literal? Also, why the monochrome effect? I’d try to work with a broader color pallet here… the colors a cityscape has to offer. And jazz up the type. It all kind of puts me to sleep. (But so would the text inside.) Not bad, not great.
— C-Dog, 2008-04-14 13:34:00
It is totally werkin’, if it was not doutone the knocked out title would probably get lost. A cool cover especially for the market.
— jW, 2008-04-14 15:24:00
I also was instantly reminded of Panic Room! As C-Dog points out, this cover is not at that level – too bad.
— GH, 2008-04-14 16:07:00
That “type in space” thing is really hard to pull off. Also, this cover is from 2002…I bet skyscraper shots were farm fresh back then. I think the cover works great.
— nate s., 2008-04-14 17:10:00
OMG! Those Panic Room credits are AMAZING!! Thanks so much for posting them. I think true godliness would have been achieved if Jodie Foster walked across the lawn and in front of the director’s name at the end of the sequence – and into her first scene.
— Tal, 2008-04-14 20:52:00
I don’t think you can compare a book cover to film credits. But both are treated nicely and have their merits. I would smile to see a cover like this on a shelf. Could have been real bland. But instead it ads a deeper dimension and depth to an otherwise flat and familiar cityscape scene…
— ian shimkoviak, 2008-04-14 23:36:00
http://covers.fwis.com/edifice_complex
— ectysis, 2008-04-15 09:08:00
And what C-dog said about Edefice Complex:
The street level building shot has been done so many times.
Sometimes, people just don’t like cityscapes…
— ian shimkoviak, 2008-04-15 09:51:00
I guess. But it just seems like such a generic visual solution. Cities can mean so many things, and probably encompass at least one major element (alienation, industrialization, money, crime, poverty, chaos, the centers of civilization, etc.) of most of the books that have been published. I guess it just doesn’t impress me on a design level.
— C-Dog, 2008-04-16 04:13:00
I would say the book cover works better than the Panic Room title sequence because it is more closely related to the design problem. The Panic Room titles may look cool, but it doesn’t really fit the situation.
— mike, 2008-04-16 17:21:00
This book cover predates Panic Room, anyway. Since it came out in 2001. I’m more a fan of the book’s content than its cool cover, anyway. I have to say, though, that the superimposition of a structure onto the city’s face is probably the perfect design solution in this case.
— Fred, 2008-04-20 12:43:00
The Panic Room sequence is really cool, but almost eerie in a way…
On the cover, I think it’s great. Simple concept but powerful execution. Very nice.
m welch
— m welch, 2008-04-22 11:55:00