The Terror Dream: Myth and Misogyny in an Insecure America

Henry Sene Yee's cover for The Terror Dream is pleasantly dissonant, almost haphazard. But his process is rigorous and thought-out. He worked with illustrator Andrea Dezsö and took her work to another level by photographing her sketches to make them feel like a back-lit diorama. I almost want to see more done with the typography, but the centerpiece is the illustration, and the type integrates well without overwhelming it.

Read more on the serendipitous match-up of designer and illustrator at Henry's blog.

— Fwis , 2009-06-25 09:52:23 -0400

Reminds me of Kara Walker's work. Her Whitney exhibit from a few years ago was amazing.

.colin

— Anonymous Coward , 2009-06-25 10:54:28 -0400

More like a vintage shadow puppet feel I think. Very nice...

— sanfroin , 2009-06-25 12:31:23 -0400

It does look like a diorama and because of that, I'm remembering the 6th grade diorama contest that I lost.

I like the cover. The typographys is dull but I love the illustration.

— Anonymous Coward , 2009-06-25 14:04:27 -0400

another one of those covers that could not have been done more interestingly and differently from what is out there on this topic. Wonderful.

— Ian B. Shimkoviak , 2009-06-25 17:52:24 -0400

Agreed, Colin, I get the Kara Walker vibes for sure. It seems a bit more than a homage too, given the use of light to convey the silhouettes here and given that the silhouettes conceptualize historical aspects of America (Walker's work does this for African American heritage). But then Walker's motif is derived from much earlier artistic traditions.

"Haphazard" is a great word for this one. This cover presents an interesting format, but a format I'm not entirely comfortable with on a visual level. The illustrations are fascinating and the text isn't bad either, but the two competing with one another on the same cover presents a level of congestion that doesn't immediately feel sophisticated. I'd prefer the emphasis of either the text or the images; while I realize that's the most predictable solution, it's also the most compositionally sound solution. If feng shui can be applied to graphic design -- and I'd argue that it certainly can be -- it's clear that this cover violates a few laws.
It's a gutsy design, for sure, but I can't validate the risk. It doesn't suck one into the lay of the design, rather it bounces us back and forth and sends us spinning into the ether. I'm not sure how that corresponds and emboldens the subject matter. Perhaps if this were an action-packed novel or a historical account of an erratic disaster this type of design ideology would be better equipped.

— Chad , 2009-06-25 20:03:26 -0400

agree with above- the approach is interesting for this kind of book- its just that the type doesnt gel with it at all making it feel quite uncomfortable to look at

— Anonymous Coward , 2009-06-25 20:06:18 -0400

thoughtful and interesting comments, here

— Anonymous Coward , 2009-06-25 22:07:54 -0400

I'm a bit torn over the type treatment. But I think it works with the content — a book about the aftermath of 9-11 and the psychosomatic mess it threw us into. I hate to sound like a broken record, but the area that feels most problematic is the large author name. The type isn't perfect, but it moved, it has energy. In one of Henry's ealier comps, he locked up the title and illo is an expected composition that just isn's as dynamic as the final cover. I say bravo for having the guts to take some good illustration work and using it as a means to an end rather than the end in and of itself. (did I really say 'bravo'?!)

— Fwis, 2009-06-26 00:41:10 -0400

Wow. I can't tell you how much I prefer that black and white version you linked, Keenan! Heads and shoulders above. There, the illustrations are least the focal point, versus the exhausting alternative of six separate focal points.

Though, with either cover I'd humbly suggest negotiating a new font. The narrow scaling and loose kerning of that dramatic serif just grates against those images... like brown socks with black shoes. The overriding Western ( or Southern) theme of the images might as well just be embraced. Why rally against it with a cold, bold, hard-edged, metropolitan serif?

Wouldn't a cool hand-drawn scrawl akin to Everything is Illuminated brace better with those emotive silhouettes? Just sayin'! But I've pissed all over Henry Yee's shoes enough for one day, I'd say.

— Chad , 2009-06-26 01:37:48 -0400

Henry Yee Rocks!
even if this doesnt!

— Anonymous Coward , 2009-06-26 04:35:09 -0400

I think this is a fine cover. I like the dramatic light fading to black on the edges and much prefer the pallet of this over the b&w version. The staggering of all the type elements and spot illustrations I suppose helps show that this is a survey. I like the images being nostalgic and subversive (much like Kara Walkers dark portrail of the antebellum south). Chad, the font used is sans-serif.

— Anonymous Coward , 2009-06-26 07:57:36 -0400

To your point, I think some hand drawn type might have integrated well with the illustration.
On another —and I only point this out because it took me a few times to notice—the illustration is more than just an old west cowboy themes story. There is the image there of the smoking towers with troops marching to the right. I appreciate the metaphor of the old west heroism and the damsel in distress, but for me, westernizing the type (as in American old west) would be too much, too gimmicky. The only thing that bothers me is the large author's name.

— Fwis, 2009-06-26 08:59:29 -0400

Diorama? Uhhhhh, really?

http://www.homeschoolinthewoods.com/HTTA/TTS/images/AmericanRevolutionPhotos/LARGEPhotos/LARGE-ShadowPuppets-2.jpg

— , 2009-06-26 14:29:46 -0400

I think the evocation of Kara Walker is smart since her work relates thematically to the book topic- and the whole comes across as atmospherically spooky, which really works for me. I love it!

— Anonymous Coward , 2009-07-20 16:20:06 -0400

I agree with what you said, Ben. This cover is arresting.

— yapay havuz , 2009-12-03 09:46:14 -0500

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— red pepper , 2010-01-28 06:27:01 -0500