October 2010
19 posts
8 tags
The Language of Trees by Ilie Ruby. This design is gorgeous for several reasons, most notably for the soft glow that bathes most of the images. The contrast of a black and white photo on top and a luxuriously greened image on bottom is beautiful. I like that the title follows this color scheme as well. Furthermore, the actual images create a feeling of serenity, from the pretty, skyward trees to...
7 tags
The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman. I like how this dark fantasy cover art manages to be subtle as well as ominous. There isn’t much going on, but the characters’ flowing robe-like attire, drawn sword, and bowed head are enough to instill a sense of supernatural foreboding. I especially enjoy the shadowy, rolled-on paint texture of the design, complete with deep indigo and gray...
7 tags
Girls to the Front by Sara Marcus. This design is grunge all the way, which is perfect for “Riot Grrrl Revolution.” The grimy black and white photo, the speckled background, and the paint splatter form the ideal elements of punk, while fuchsia adds just the right touch of femininety. I also love the asymmetrical blocks of title, which give the cover almost a scrapbook feel. This is...
7 tags
The Four Fingers of Death by Rick Moody. This cover is ominous and exciting at once, and somewhat baffling. Who would expect a cactus’s shadow to serve as something so foreboding? The blocky, 3D title letters make me think of a giant billboard in the middle of the night desert, as though advertising something so crude as death. If you look closely, you can see that a giant, claw-like hand...
8 tags
Hector and the Search For Happiness by Francois Lelord. I like how festive this cover is. You wouldn’t normally expect balloons on the front of a novel about a man’s journey to happiness. Yet both the balloons, the array of fun colors, the little man (Hector, presumably), and the curly serif font present a design that is both childlike and revealing of adult matters. The cover is...
6 tags
Color Me Butterfly by L.Y. Marlow. This cover is precious, really. The little girl with her ruby red slippers, staring off into hopeful oblivion, accompanied by butterflies—what could be sweeter? The design exhibits beauty through the high contrast image fading into a grainy, golden texture. The real world and the abstract blend effortlessly. There is something inspiring about this cover,...
7 tags
Johannes Cabal the Detective by Jonathan L. Howard. I love the comic book design of this cover. It works especially because of the “detective” aspect—it seems perfectly natural to pair a Holmes-style mystery with a steampunk-style appearance. The red details against the muted background colors work to pop certain cartoonish elements. Finally, the seemingly unrelated images,...
6 tags
You Were Wrong by Matthew Sharpe. What first caught my eye about this cover is the beautiful blue background hue (my stab at poetry). Then I noticed the absurd scene taking place—presumably a toy car tipping over the edge of a wooden table. I love the bizarre scheme of this design, which fits perfectly with the satirical nature of the story. To top it off, the title typography is original...
6 tags
My Appetite for Destruction by Steven Adler. The majority of celebrities who put out books feature themselves on the cover—that is just one of the reasons why I like this famous drummer’s memoir design. Mostly, I’m excited about all the interesting elements that work together on this cover. With classic Guns N’ Roses touches, the design still manages to stand alone in...
7 tags
Stiltsville by Susanna Daniel. I absolutely love the color scheme of this design; seafoam green, brown, and white are three colors you’d never expect to work, but look great on here. The white sky and bright sea both blend and contrast to perfection. The sparse use of imagery (the house built on stilts) directs readers’ attention to the literal focus of the story. Overall, the design...
8 tags
Our Tragic Universe by Scarlett Thomas. This design is undeniably busy, which is usually a red flag. However, I like this cover due to the juxtaposition of yellow and gradient elements. The wolf seems random, but adds intrigue to what is already bizarre. The curvy font is parked within the boxy yellow accents, a combination no one would ever expect to work—but it does.
Readers’...
6 tags
I’d Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman. Upon first glance, you might not realize that the bottom image on this cover is the negative of the top image. While I feel using the negative of a photo is usually a cop-out for coolness, I enjoy this diplay. The woman’s coat acts as the focus point, top and bottom, teal and coral, and I love both of those colors. The dash through the woods,...
9 tags
The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood. I love this design’s use of color. Almost every hue of the rainbow makes an appearance, yet it is a thing of beauty, rather than an atrocity. The overall grainy texture and subtle background images, from the dilapidated buildings to the woman in the white dress, add a dimension of intrigue. I find the pretty red flower appropriately ironic,...
7 tags
A Scattered Life by Karen McQuestion. I love the split-screen feel of this cover. On the one side, you have a seemingly ordinary woman who may or may not be troubled with her “ordinary” life. On the other, you have (ta-da!) scattered letters. This is both poetic and literal, which does not often occur, at least not effectively. The light green map of Wisconsin establishes the setting...
6 tags
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. Normally I shy away from designs that have “too much” going on. With this cover, there appears to be six or seven different images transposed over each other, which is usually a recipe for disaster. But I find myself drawn to this design. Somehow the complex layering works: the grinding gears of a clock, the European architecture, the handsome boy...
8 tags
Fury by Koren Zailckas. This cover channels movie-poster vintage. Its use of color and texture is fantastic. The striking red title (appropriate, considering the word) transposed over the velvety dark green background presents a perfect contrast in hue and feel. The blurred face of the girl is just the right amount of creepy and intriguing. In class memoir fashion, the straight-forward,...
8 tags
Torment by Lauren Kate. OK, so this is the third YA novel I’ve featured on here. What can I say, everyone wants to be a YA writer, so the designs have got to be hot. Besides the fact that the dress the protagonist wears is hauntingly beautiful (at least from the back), her murky surroundings and writhing pose really do create a sense of torment. This look is gossamer, gothic, and...
6 tags
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. Simon and Schuster pegged Hush, Hush as a big seller, and it shows in the cover. From the foreboding storminess of the background to the lifelike fallen/ing angel in the foreground, the design goes the extra mile to articulate a dark statement. The sparing use of red also adds just the right touch of adrenaline. Too bad this cover has almost nothing to do with...
6 tags
Deadly Little Lies by Laurie Faria Stolarz. I love the use of selective red coloring in this cover. Everything else in the design is muted or desaturated, which connotes the lonely and lost feeling of the protagonist. The emphasis on the umbrella might be slightly confusing, as the story takes place in the winter (where you are more likely to need protection from snow than rain). Sticking with...
