Mark's Cover Pick

I really appreciate this cover because it uses colors and shapes to convey the layers and diversity of geography. It is not literal yet the meanings of each layer can be deciphered by the reader with some being easier to interpret than others, adding more visual intrigue for the reader. As a bonus, the type works within the layers beautifully as well establishing great balance throughout the cover.

Sarah's Cover Pick

I first saw this book a couple of years ago before I was going on vacation. I was looking for a light beach read before I stumbled across this book. I was completely drawn in due to the design of the cover. I love the use of space, and how the title blends in with the background more than it contrasts it. I decided to purchase the book, even though it wasn't the type of book I was originally looking for. I ended up really liking the book. I kept flipping back to the front to look at the cover while I was reading (sign that the design is excellent). The serious content is reflected really well with the cover design. I recommend everyone reads it!

Jessica's Cover Pick

I have to say I loved many of these covers, especially Impossible Motherhood, but in the interest of variety I've decided to make my pick a new one:

The use of white space here is fantastic. I think the designer was brave (and right) to keep the school just on the bottom few inches, rather than front and center on the page. The decision to make the type white, rather than black, was another smart choice. The white, plus the sans serif, all-caps typeface creates a feeling of quiet evenness. The overall feel of the cover is very quiet and peaceful, creating a sharp contrast with the violence that we all know happened. This cover is effective because since we already know what happened at Columbine, we add the foreboding element ourselves. We establish a relationship with the book from the moment we see it, making it that much more compelling to pick up.

Jackie's Cover Pick

When I was first going through the covers, I thought this was a cute design. It wasn't until I clicked on the "more photos" link that I really appreciated the design. I really like the black background with the red of the image and the white of the text that pops out. This book title could have been mistaken for a more scientific text, but the use of such a unique font gives it an informal feel. My favorite part of the cover is that the designer thought to make the actual book background red, and have perforated holes in the cover that allows the red to show through and reveal the heart. This is definitely a book cover that would catch my eye on the Barnes & Noble shelf.

Rebecca's Book Cover Pick

It was hard to choose from so many nice, clean designs. I agree with Jolie - now that we are designing book covers for the first time, I realize how challenging it is to create simple, yet effective designs. It's a huge responsibility to convey a book's personality to peak interest without giving it all away.

I chose the cover to "Impossible Motherhood, Testimony of an Abortion Addict" because it successfully uses one simple graphic element, the line, to get the point across. Two controlled, curvy lines suggest a woman's body in contrast to a series of irregular, red hash marks, presumably representing the quantity of abortions the subject of the book has had. The location of the hash marks makes this clear, as well. Furthermore, the ensuing remaining emptiness of the page compels you to focus on the poignant subject of the book.

Jolie's Book Design Review

This cover is my favorite because it uses a clever, yet minimalist approach. At first glance, the cover seems like it was just dropped into a generic outer shell of an already designed series and then modified to fit the story. But when you look again, you notice that it really has been thought out. How clever it is to have a creepy hand steeling the penguin logo right off of the book titled "The Penguin Book of Gaslight Crime". The "gotcha!" spotlight shining right on the scene of the crime fluidly directs the readers eye right through the design and to the title of the book. As I'm trying to design book covers of my own, I know that it is not an easy task to be so creatively simple, and for that reason alone, this cover is my favorite.

Book Design Review

It's unfortunate that this site has been put on hiatus. There's some great stuff there. Take a look at this post:

http://nytimesbooks.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-favorites-of-2009.html

choose your favorite, then discuss why.