Turn Up The Radio

Great question, Vienna.

I don't own an iPad, but I do have an iPhone and I have to admit that I've been disappointed in most of the "print" materials for the device. The NY Times app kind of stinks (though I've heard the one for iPad is breathtakingly amazing), The Onion is OK and Epicurious--ick. Even when using my friend's iPad to research project 3, I was surprised by the simple, lackluster designs of the ebooks I looked at.

However, I'm continuously impressed by the applications for radio. Though mobile devices damaged print, they seem to have revived radio. For example the applications for Pandora, Spotify and my personal favorite, NPR. I was not really a fan of NPR until I had the app. Now, I can listen to programs of my choice (or only parts of programs) any time I want while avoiding commercials, Marketplace and Pledge Week. I can even listen to the NPR station from my hometown in New Hampshire if I want to. This app is really a commuter's best friend and I can't say enough good things about it.

Improving the Choose Your Own Adventure ebook

The first thing the creators of the Choose Your Own Adventure did incorrectly was making the design look like an actual book, which defeats the purpose of using an eReader (Is that the right term?). It also doesn't cater to it's intended audience, which is children. Right now, the design is very plain and not too engaging. The use of more colors, sounds, activities that visually explain the story, and less text on a single page would definitely draw children's interest much better.

Also, it appears there are several interactive points where the reader can choose to select which part of the book they can read, which is okay. Using a character from the book to explain this option with a cute little animated voice would be even better.

I would even like the map to be interactive in some way. Maybe, if the reader press a page, a snapshot of that page pop out to ensure the reader this is truly the page they want to select.

There are plenty of ways to improve this interactive book, and keeping the intended audience in mind while doing so is key to accomplish this.

Choose your own adventure

I know a lot of you are going to be pretty dang excited to see this. Our beloved, classic "Choose Your Own Adventure" books have gone digital. They're now available for iPads and iPhones in the iBookstore.

I don't want to hate, but check out the screenshots they provide...

I like the idea of the map, but they just seem so tied to the original format, including the normal spread of a book. After this last project, I'm sure they could have done something crazy awesome, but it's just boring.

So this question is a little different than previous weeks. I want to talk about this little bit of nostalgia that's struggling to come into new technology and what they should have done instead. Also, what are other formats that seem like such a natural fit with interactive technology that should give it a shot?

Personally, I think when you have a cover design that looks like this (although really, they couldn't spare a redesign?) there's a lot of imagery and opportunity to pull through the interior. That map especially seems like a totally missed opportunity to me.

What do yo all think?

I'd love to redesign Toni Morrision Books

I know I've posted about Toni Morrison's books before, but I just love her books and have hated the cover designs (with the exception of one of her most recent books, A Mercy) the designs of her previous books have been thoroughly uninspiring and unoriginal, a pale tribute to the content within.

To be fair, they are indicative of the time period in which they were designed, but still, they're awful. And I get the "look" of the books -- just straight text, but some aren't even consistent with their typography, or color palette which just makes them look sloppy.

Death to Nero Wolfe Covers

Personally, I think collectively our class did a much better job redesigning Rex Stout Nero Wolfe series book covers. The covers I've found online tend to be a bit dated, dull and uninteresting. I think book covers for mystery novels should be conceptual -which I think we did an excellent job! The covers are very literal and don't engage or intrigue the audience. The cover art work is a dead give away. And quite honestly once you read one, you can most likely figure out what the rest are about.

Romance Novel Covers... Yuck!

Romance novels have the absolute worst covers, which is why you will never see me purchase one. I can't say this enough! They are just so cheesy and not original at all. I don't understand why there is always a man on the cover (Fabio...) who is staring off into space. Below are some interesting, yet horrible covers I found.

What exactly is he doing with that sword?

Oh, are you?

Love the name of Ms. Barbieri's other novel! Fancy!

Good Book, Bad Cover

I agree that The Red Tent would scare some readers away because I am one of those readers. I've looked at that book several times in the bookstore, then promptly put it down.

A book cover that I'd like to redesign is The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon. It's great book about love, friendship and transitioning into adulthood. When I first read it, it reminded me of my summers at home during college. The main character is rebelling from his father and figuring out what he wants now that his college days are over while having the time of his life with new friends. And this is the book's cover:

They've redone the cover since and it's still not working for me.

I want the cover to evoke the same ideas of youth, rebellion and adventure that the novel does, and both of these don't.

When Bad Covers Happen to Good Books

Did you ever not read a book just because the book design was terrible? I’m sure this happens to people all the time.

or "When bad covers happen to good books!"

Is there a book that you can think of that you passed up just because of the poorly designed cover or do you own a book that you just wish you could redesign because the current cover does not do the book justice? Do tell!

I would redesign The Red Tent. I just think the cover is too biblical, so much so that it would scare some readers away…what do you think?

Series with backbones

Book spines are fun, aren't they? I admit in my own design, it tends to be an afterthought, but I love great spines in other designer's work.

I loved seeing this collection of Penguin titles. They were clearly designed as a collection and the colors and icons on the bottom are great to look at.

I think there's a lot more that can be done with a series than a one-off book, but there's great opportunities there too. But here's another fun series:

Colorful Spine Design

The funny thing is I quite often think of the spine as the last and most insignificant thing I have to design on the book. Of course now I'm realizing I should do a lot more after looking through some of your posts. I really like the idea of the design from the front cover continuing across the spine and onto the back cover. I'll have to remember that next time seeing as though in book stores and at the library the spine is the first thing you see. Below are a series of books published by penguin known as the Great Food series. The spines are very colorful and appear in a spectrum next to each other.



Penguin Publishing group also published this book with a photograph of book spines as the cover design. Pretty cool!



These last couple are just a few I think are pretty well designed. One set is an artist take on book spines and the other is one of my favorite books, Things Fall Apart.

Book Spines- I love classic cover spines!

I love all the spines I've seen thus far! Marie, I am a huge fan of the spines created from Japanese book binding, and I'm so glad you posted it. That method has long been on my "try it out" list.

My favorite spines are those of classic books. I already have a thing for classic book covers, and I love going to Barnes and Noble and looking at them. They are just as decorative as any vase, portrait, or home accent. I didn't find a picture of them all together on the B & N site, so I was able to Google it, and up popped the picture below. I love that they are all shown together, so you can get the effect.

I wish I had them sitting on my shelves!

Cool Spine Design

This isn't the first time I have admitted that I am not a dedicated reader. With that said, you won't likely find me in Barnes & Noble looking for the latest Suzanne Collins novel (just an example). However, if I just happen to be in Barnes and Noble looking for a book to read, I am looking at book covers that catch my eye. I do the same thing when selecting wine. If I like the label, I am buying that wine!

I think that spines of books are equivalent to the packaging of products. As Trudy said, "your spine is your first and last chance to peak a buyer's interest". If I am drawn to the spine, I will pick up the book. If the cover turns me on, I'll pull out my Barnes and Noble gift card and buy! 


Below are a few example I would consider buying if I saw them in Barnes and Noble (and I had a gift card).

Spine Design

I'm pretty sure we're all doing the same thing right now. Running a Google images search for "super awesome book spine design" so in an effort not to repeat anything, I scoured around looking for unique spine designs that went beyond just print.

http://sineadkruis.blogspot.com/

James Jennifer Georgina is a big book: 1,200 pages. Irma Boom’s revolutionary spine design allows the book to lie flat on any page. The entire cover and page edges are silkscreened in a brilliant soft neon-yellow glow; the colour lives big but does not dominate.http://jamesjennifergeorgina.com/design.html 

Spine detail from Sara De Bondt’s design for the catalogue of ‘Out of the Ordinary: Spectacular Craft’ (Victoria and Albert Museum, 2007), which demonstrates how a sound knowledge of process can open up possibilities for innovative design. Saradebondt.com

And this doesn't particularly have anything to do with the topic of book spine design per se, but I still thought it was amazingly cool.

http://theberry.com/2010/01/29/mike-stilkey-creates-beautiful-artwork-on-spines-of-stacked-books-14-photos/

Book Spines Worth Talking About

I enjoy looking at book spines and almost blogged about them last week myself. My favorite examples are usually from book series. Just like with covers in a series, I like how each spine is distinct yet matches the other books.

I'm also a sucker for book spines that are simply a part of a book's jacket design. I think it demonstrates a strong understanding of a book's content to create one, strong visual representation of the story and not break up the design into cover, back cover and spine. Here are a few examples that I really like:

It's The Little Things that Count

Hi Guys,

I've been thinking about what I would post for discussion this week, and I finally settled on the design of book spines. I know we have been addressing content and concept all semester, but to me, it seems none of that matters if the spine design isn't amazing. See, this week I began to think outside of my designer's perspective and instead thought about what I do when I walk into a bookstore to buy a book, or into a library to borrow a book. The truth is, in cases like these your spine is your first and last chance to peak a buyer's interest. It's almost like selling a house, you have to make sure your real estate looks on par and even better that your neighbors if you want to make a serious sale.

That being said, can you guys post some examples you find of interesting, clever spines that caught your attention? Hopefully this post reminds you, as it did me, to pay attention to minor details in book design, because it really does make all the difference.

Here are some examples I thought were clever or really beautiful:

 

What we can do with all our printed books once e-books take over

This is very cool -- forget a pillow/blanket fort!

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/04/a-dome-of-books/

Book Igloo

Home is a recent sculptural installation by Colombian artist Miler Lagos. The piece was constructed at MagnanMetz Gallery late last year using carefully stacked books to create a compact dome that is entirely self-supporting.