Hello guys, I just designed this ebook and I’ll like you all to rate it and criticize it constructively and tell me what you think.
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You’ll need to post an image of the cover.
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There are some things I like, and there are some things I don’t like.
The sepia tone / duotone treatment of the photos is nice, the layered images are nice, and I like the perspective on the church.
The type, however, needs a lot of work. There are too many typefaces used, there isn’t great hierarchy, I don’t think the metallic effect works for the cover, and it looks like you just tucked the type in where ever it would fit. You might have to adjust the layout of the images to fix that last point (having the the tucked in where ever).
One other thing to mention. There are rights limitations with stock photos. Stock companies may not allow for images with people to be used in potentially damaging ways. For example, you might not be able to use a picture with a model for a poster advertising STD testing – the implication is that the model has an STD. Looking at this cover, I’d assume that the guy is a criminal and that the lady is either the victim of a crime or a co-criminal. Depending on where you got these images and the usage restrictions, this may be a violation of the user agreement. Best to check with the agency.
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You’re absolutely right about the images being used. I didn’t intend to offend the stock image company or the models. I just liked the images because it fits what I wanted. Do you think I should change the image?
Yes and no.
Yes in as much as I think the layout of the images will need to shift to improve the type.
No in that I like the images you picked out. Just check with whatever stock company they came from to ensure you’re not violating the user agreement – especially if this is an actual commercial project.
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Please take these comments as critique, not criticism.
First, you’ve done an EXCELLENT job on the images. It is a great illustration and you understand what the book is about without even reading get title. You did it! That is great illustrative work.
But there are a few serious issues:
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DESIGN: The big mistake I see is that red line that breaks up the title.
First, the red is the only red thing in the design. So it doesn’t flow - but instead acts like a focal stop.
Second, it reads as if the name of the book is “Surviving” and the author “Pastor Josh”. If you want to use red, use it in more than one place - remember your still-life drawing classes and make the each color “flow” on the design or it will look piecemeal and unbalanced. -
“A True Crime Story” is descriptive of the title, so should be grouped with that. I’d simply switch it with the “What happens when…” line.
FONTS:
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Copperplate is a very specific typeface. It really should only be used on “classic” gothic work. It is just too “much” for modern design.
Suggestions:
AdornS Serif
AR Darling (maybe even just for the T in PASTOR)
Bodoni All Caps (I love this for book covers) -
Garamond is probably the most overused and (imo) goofy looking fonts around. To me it always looks like it’s laughing (weird I know).
Suggestions:
Adobe Caslon is close but not as goofy
Plantagenet Cherokee
Another suggestion:
- Try doing a google search on “similar fonts to…” And find a more serious font for the Garamond
Finally, everything is yellow and black. How do you make text stand out the absolute best? White on black or black on white. Dump all the golds in the fonts, it’s only distracting.
Hope this helps. Great start, just needs tweaking.
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I agree with most of the preceding comments.
If this is a real book cover and the 3d treatment of the type is a mockup of what the real foil-embossed cover will look like, fine. However, if it’s just an attempt to simulate real foil embossing on a cover that doesn’t actually have real foil embossing, don’t do it.
If it were me, I’d change the composition some. The most important elements are all crowded up at the top of the book with the title of the book just sort of tucked into where it sort of fits in the corner. If you lower the man and woman you’ll have more room to run the title all the way across the top to give it the prominence it deserves.
Also, as already mentioned, that thick red line isn’t working — it just needlessly splits up the title. I also see no reason for changing typefaces in the title from one line to the next or, for that matter, using italics for the second line. I think it would work better to just use straight-forward typography.
I’ll remove the metallic gold color from the text as you advised. Thanks
Thanks a million. It’s actually a real book, a novel. I’ll definitely remove the red line and adjust the texts accordingly. Thanks for the response
Thanks for the wonderful advice. I’ll implement all your ideas before publishing. It’s actually a real book
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Steve thanks. It’s actually a commercial project that’s why I’m a little bit worried especially about the images I used. But I’ll do more research before I publish it
Looks like everyone wants me to dump the golds. I’ll do that
Yes. Always always ALWAYS make sure you have the rights to your images.
Worst Case Scenario: The image is owned by a large studio. They see it. The author gets a “Cease and Desist” order. All the books are pulled from the shelves. You get sued by the publisher for the losses.