May 2011
7 posts
13 tags
The Time-Traveling Fashionista by Bianca Turetsky. The artwork here is gorgeous. YA titles often have dazzling cover designs, but rarely through illustration, as is the case with this novel. The most stunning part of the cover is of course the dress, which is awash in sparkles, texture, and bounce. It is so grand that it seems to be wearing the girl, rather than the girl wearing it. The girl...
11 tags
The Archaeology of Home by Katharine Greider. The use of selected color in this design is magnificent. Immediately the eye is drawn to the color gradient that highlights a specific Lower East Side apartment in this photograph. The gradient fades from red to white to turquoise, like a funky patriotic theme, breathing unnatural life into the old structure. This apartment literally stands out from...
10 tags
In Stitches by Anthony Youn. One look at this cover inspires intrigue, if not fascination. Between the title and certain visuals, viewers can ascertain that this is a memoir concerning a medical incident. Yet the design is set up so creatively that even those not normally interested in said memoirs must look twice. The cream and tan color scheme intermixed with bright red provides an...
9 tags
Exposed by Kimberly Marcus. It’s unusual (and brave) to see a YA design devoid of color, but I find the desaturated state of this cover appropriate and effective. The black background provides extreme contrast to the titles. The reel of film looks at home in a black and white setting, and the way it winds and curves off into black oblivion gives viewers a sense of fading history. Only two...
9 tags
I Think I Love You by Allison Pearson. Pink is a bold design choice, even in women’s fiction, but the hue suits this cover. The lovely shade of pink used for the background is not overly bright, but maintains a feminine appeal. I’m a fan of simple, focal shapes, which is why I enjoy the use of the record as a smooth, circular visual point. The record also acts as symbol of the 1970s...
9 tags
One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde. I love absurdity, especially when it’s found on a book cover. This sequel’s design raises more questions than it answers, which seems perfectly appropriate given the novel’s title. The blue background is streaked in light beams that reach up and spread across the title. The title itself is blurred and evidently part of the...
9 tags
The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon. Although it is not necessarily the visual element one notices first when looking at this cover, I most enjoy the way the titles of the novel are made of colorful gradients—reds, pinks, oranges, yellows all fading together. The typography itself is very elegant and fitting of a story whose words center around a “beautiful girl.” The...
