Re: Has anyone had luck with trimming their book pages?

I probably shouldn't say this because I work in the lab, but the cutter in the lab should be used with extreme caution. I was there tonight and cut my pages only to realize that it cuts at a slant. Not sure what I did wrong, but the top of my text block is wider by about 1/8 of an inch, maybe even more, than the bottom of my book. Praise be that this is just a draft. For my final, I'm going to get the pages professionally trimmed. Good luck!

RE: Jamie

Hey Jamie I went to Office Depot and used their guillotine cutter. I've used them 3 times so far for trimming and I just love them. The one I go to is off Pulaski hwy

Re: Has anyone had luck with trimming their book pages?

The guillotine cutter in the lab worked pretty well for me. Just make sure to have your book pressed all the way up against the top edge of the machine, and pull down the handle that presses your book down onto the platform. Good luck.

Has anyone had luck with trimming their book pages?

I've bound my pages and now I need to trim them down. Has anyone had luck with the multiple page cutter in the lab? Or are there any other useful tips or tricks that you've found successful? I'm nervous to start cutting.

UPC Code Fun!

Hey everyone! After seeing Callan's adorable treatment to the UPC code on her back cover, It reminded me of a designer who does some really fun and creative things with UPC codes. Here's a link to his work: www.behance.net/gallery/Illustrated-Barcodes/7747763

Re: Color Palette

I can't remember who mentioned this in a previous response post, but someone said that some designers go full force with keeping within the genre's typical design elements while others incorporate only a few of those elements. As a result, their designs become more timeless than the very cliche designs. This made me think a lot about keeping that in mind when I design. So kudos!

Here is an example of Sci-fi books:

Notice the similarity in font choice too. Below are a couple of links. One is an awesome infographic on NPR's sci-fi and fantasy picks. The other is a helpful website about color meaning. I wish there were a website with color palettes and their meaning. But then maybe that would be too easy.

Infograpahic

Symbolism

Book Binding

Great video ladies!  I am joining the party as well!  I'm not real arts & crafty...but guess I'll be at Micheal's as well!  I'm a little afraid of this, but I like the Youtube video.  On the video, it doesn't seem hard...but neither does the recipes and projects on Pinterest. Check it out: http://www.pinterestfail.com/

See y'all in class!

Booking Binding

Hey Hana and Emily, I can't think of any printer who would do something of this magnitude quickly, and relatively inexpensively, so I've been Googling and YouTubing "Perfect Binding" too. I had to bind a book in my undergrad, but it wasn't a novel-sized book. Also, I'm not even sure if the book-binding supply shop where I bought everything is still open, I've been having trouble finding if it is online (my last visit was about 9 years ago... so chances are, they have closed down). So, needless to say, I will be spending some time at the hardware store and Michael's over the weekend, figuring out supplies and getting crafty.

Remember ladies, only have a cocktail/beer/wine AFTER the work is done.  ;)

RE: The Horror Palette

 When thinking about graphic design and the choices we as designers make type and color palette are usually among the first decisions one makes. It is one of those very personal choices a artist makes to express their interpretation of a book, event, movie, Etc.

I recently read "the Thin Man" By Dashiell Hammett, a detective novel written in the 1920's. As I was reading the blog posts I Thought of the cover art on the book and the color palette on the copy I was reading. Being a book close to century old I wondered how much the cover art has changed over the years and if the color palette has made any significant changes.
























After doing a quick search on the web for "'the Thin Man' book cover"I noticed that the color palette has stays the same. The imagery, typography, and hierarchy has changed, but the color red stays constant. It is nice to know that some things stay the same. I think the reason that the color red indorses in all these covers is because it is a strong, romantic, and primal. The book expresses all these elements in Spades.






















I am curious if the designers of all of this book cover thought they were making a individual decision about color. Or if perhaps they drew influence from each other?
I wonder what the future holds for the enduring books of our generation? And if the designers of the future will use the same color palette for "Harry Potter". What do you all think?

Re: Emily-Any luck finding printers?

Hey Emily, they said they could do it same day, but, I'd double check with them, just to make sure (I'm gonna!). I only asked about face trimming and didn't think about the top or bottom, so when I call them back, I'm going to have to ask about that option too. The lady I spoke suggested using Mod Podge for book binding glue, which can be found at Micheal's. Book binding party this weekend! ;)

Re: Hana-Any luck finding printers?

That's good to know about the trimming, Hana. Did they mention how long it would take? If you want to print the pages in the lab, Southworth paper is laserjet compatible and they have a linen finish variety. It's only 8.5 by 11, but it's something to think about. I found it at Walmart, but Staples also has it around $30 for a box of 500. I used their business stock for my short story and I was really happy with it. Glad to know I won't be alone if I find myself with a book press and PVA glue this weekend!

Re: Any luck finding printers?

Hey Emily, I contacted them yesterday and yup $150--I feel the same way~ They did say they would at least do face trimming for $5, which I may hit them up for. It looks like I may have to bind the book myself too unless Amy or anyone else can provide other sources. I'm also running into a snafu in finding paper vendors that sell 11x17 specialty paper like linen paper. I called Xpedex and Lindenmyer (Lindenmyer would have charge $50 plus cost of paper since they'd have to order paper and cut it to 11x17 size, which ain't cheap). 8.5 x 11 linen paper was quoted a little north of $45 for 500 pack. I may just have to stick with standard paper for this particular project in addition to binding the book myself.

Any luck finding printers?

Has anybody found a printing solution for their project? I usually use Indigo Ink when I'm having someone else do it, but their charge is $150 for one perfect bound book. Ouch! Please share!

I'm tempted to do it myself. Anybody else taking it on? I found this YouTube channel that has a lot of book binding tutorials. She certainly makes it look easy!

Re: The Horror Palette

I'll be the first to admit that my handle on color is basic at best. In Words and Images last Fall, I created a booklet that featured an illustrated version of my head and Amy pointed out that by putting bright pink and neon green next to each other, I made my hair color turn from blonde to green. I had learned a little bit about color in my undergrad, but from that point on, I REALLY started paying attention to how colors interact and affect each other.

This is an interesting article in everyone's favorite Smashing Magazine about Color Theory. It really simplifies color, so y'all might check it out.

But according to that article, black is associated with evil, death, mystery, Halloween, and the occult. It's also the traditional color of mourning in many Western cultures. Black is commonly used in edgier designs and can convey a sense of mystery. So, it's no wonder that Horror novels choose this color most often.

I think its interesting how one color can have and convey so many different meanings. 

On first glace, the cover of Cutting for Stone seems pretty standard. But having read the book and looking at it with an eye for color, the cover is mostly green. While green can symbolize nature and growth, it can also symbolize lack of experience, which I think it does here. There are many take-aways from this book and I think the pop of red is supposed to be a warning color. 

Sometimes I think color is just used to bring a cultural aspect to the design, like in How to Be an American Housewife. I'm not sure that the green has any symbolism other than being a color that is often associated with harmony, nature, and Asian cultures. Also, pink and green complimentary colors that work well together from a purely design perspective.

In My Abandonment, Caroline and her father are homeless and live in a large park in Portland, Oregon. The green color here simply represents the place were she lives and their reliance on nature.

Many people would probably disagree, but I think The Giving Tree has dual meanings: selfishness and greed as well as love and support. So, green here is representative nature and renewal, but I also think of greed.

Great topic, Nathan!

Re: Color Palette

Incorporating appropriate color on a book cover is important. It's just one way of letter potential readers know what the story is about. I stumbled across "Tips for Choosing Book Cover Colors" at SelfPublishingHouse.com (http://www.selfpublishinghouse.com/book-cover-colors.html). They provide 18 categories of books and colors affiliated with each. A few examples:

CLASSY

Black, Gold, Tan, Purple

Rust or Maroon + Black, Blue

Sage + Black, Mustard, Orange, Red

EXCITING

Green + Red, Orange

Orange + Yellow, Blue

Purple + Yellow

White + Primary Color

FEMININE

Light Yellow + Green, Lavender, Light Blue, Purple

Pink + Purple

Light Blue + Light Pink

Light Green + Light Purple

Tan + Pink, Light Green 

White + Pink, Plum Teal

POWERFUL

Black + Orange, Purple, Red, Yellow

Dark Blue + Green, Yellow

Red + Gray, Silver

White + Red, Silver

I'm so happy you replied tonight!

Jamie I can't thank you enough for your feedback tonight. The color in the background isn't white it's actually the color of the script (sort of khaki creamish).. we'll see how it prints. It might be too empty like you're saying. I like the image too I think it tells the story very well. I'll print both. One with the effect and one without. Thanks again, I really appreciate your comments. Good luck with your design!

Feedback for Tairran

Tarrain,

I like that you removed the squares from the image. It's a beautiful image with a lot going on so I don't think you need the square effect. Placing the title in the white definitely makes it more legible but I think that the white feels very stark. The image has a number of soft light colors that you could pull from it for a background color for the rest of the jacket. Maybe the cream color from the letters would look nice and make it more visually cohesive. Just a thought...

Re: Color Palette

Interesting, Nathan...

and I'm stumped.

Needless to say, while I was researching books and color meanings, I found a website discussing the "vivid" colors used on the cover of Harry Potter books.  This site seems crazy as hell, but sometimes these folks are right? Sms (http://www.cuttingedge.org/News/n1485.cfm)

This guy..and I say guy, because he seems very aggressive and passionate about proving J.K. Rowling is a devil worshiper.  (I had to turn on some Gospel music while reading this...for spiritual protection) Haha!

Anyway, supposedly, the vivid colors are significant because of the old Satanic Druid religion and how it plays a significant role in Ritual Magi. During his in-depth research, he discovered that the vivid colors were NOT, I repeat, NOT Mind Controlling triggers. (sigh of relief)

But anyway, it's late and I must wrap this up.  As I finished reading the text ABOVE the chart (charts trigger Mind Confusion in me...), I began to wonder the more this person/guy researches satan and pagan practices or whatever..he just may convert himself subconsciously. Now that's mind control.

Goodnight, people.

Thank you for feedback

Thank you for the feedback. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to read it before critique. I usually don't read Monday's blogs until Tuesday morning because I'm busy printing. Thanks for sending that link Stacy, I did look at the pictures. I decided not to go with the shattered glass idea because a lot of the pictures look like a bullet went through the window because of the hole in the middle.. and I don't like the feel of that. Then the other pictures can be confused as a spider web. I don't know.. I played with the picture I showed in class on Tuesday and changed the font. I thought this picture fit the story better. I'm not going to do the half-jacket idea anymore because i took the larger squares out to calm the effect down. So now there's nothing to cut. The back of the jacket I left blank...

Any feedback is helpful. Thanks mates!

RE: Horror Palette

Hana some of those covers are really nice, thanks for sharing those. Nathan I'm afraid to tell you this, but YES color does matter. You made me laugh when you said, "I just don't understand what they're for." Well, I agree with Jamie. Colors are mainly for marketing reasons and you need them to distinguish between genres. I'm a fan of romance novels, inspirational/self-help books, and memoirs. All of these books have a different color palette. Romance novels do often use pink, purple, red, and white for cover palettes as Jamie pointed out.

Here are some of my favorite inspirational novels. During my google search inspirational novels range in color. I noticed either a primary color palette, a palette relating to earth (sky blue, green grass, white clouds) or a warm color palette.
















Here are some of my favorite memoirs. These covers vary in color, but Nathan you'll be glad to know I noticed that most of them only use 2 colors (if we're not counting white as a color). They're usually just very expressive and artistic.

Re: Color Palette

I definitely think there are popular color palettes for certain genres depending on the audience. I wanted to try and find something that targets a very specific audience, so I pulled some of my husband's books on UFC Fighting.

As you can see, the colors are, for the most part, heavy on the black. Red is also a predominant color. My guess is that this is for a few reasons:

1.) It's one of the main colors of the UFC logo.
2.) It's a "power" color.
3.) It's masculine.
4.) Blood. (And anyone who's ever watched a UFC fight knows there's usually a ton of blood).

Hana, something else I've noticed with Teen Fiction is lots of swirly-vine-things. Here's some images I collected from Barnes & Noble's website:

I think some designers are able to incorporate trends in a more subtle way, while others seem to go for the gusto, creating a design that will look really dated 10 years from now.

RE: The Horror Palette

Nathan, it's interesting that you bring up the topic of color! While browsing through the aisles of my local bookstore for inspiration and "best practices," I began to see a trend emerge for both cover art and color palette, so I thought to start documenting my findings (below). I do not remember which genre all these books are classified under, but a number of them fall under "Teen Fiction." The color palette I am seeing are silver, blue, and brown tones. In addition to color, what's interesting to note is the overwhelming use of the eye or the covering part of the face as cover art. I wonder why we see this trending especially in teen fiction ... maybe because teens are trying to figure themselves out and establish their own identity? Any other thoughts why?

 

Color Pallette

This blog post got me thinking that there must be some standardization to the color pallette related to each genre of books. The colors used on the book cover have to bring their target audience in -- we are constantly making unconscious choices based on visual guides -- and people like me who opt for horror/mystery/thriller novels are clearly going to grab a book with a darker pallette on the front than those bright, beach reads.

I came across a blog post on ColourLovers (a bit outdated -- 2011) in which the author contemplates: is there a correlation between the color of a book’s cover, digital or physical, and its success within its genre?

Here were a few of his findings based on looking at the covers of books found on the New York Times Bestseller lists:

Bestselling Fiction: warm colors and metallics (see two examples on right)
Bestselling Nonfiction: rich warm colors, non-metallic
Bestselling Children's Books: bright colors with dynamic lettering
Bestselling Harcover Graphic Novels: dark hues

So, I would assume that if a book within a specific genre, deviated from the "standard" colors found within that genre -- the odds of getting that book into the hands of its audience would suffer.

RE: The Horror Palette

When looking at different genres there is often a consistency in the color palettes used. I think that using black and dark colors for horror books is appropriate because it evokes a darkness to the story. A bright, airy cover would seem out of place. 

Below is a screen shot of the results from my google image search: Romance novels. You can definitely see a similar color palette happening in this random selection. Purple and pink are all over these covers. Although purple is a romantic color, I think the intent behind the feminine color palette is a marketing one. Seeing that women comprise 95% of the readership for these novels, the palette is a good marketing choice. The soft core porn on the cover probably doesn't hurt either.

The Horror Palette

This is where I admit that I don't really understand colors. I mean, I can tell them apart most of the time, and I get that they're different wavelengths of light, but I just don't understand what they're for. Why are there so many? You really only need two: one for the background and one for the foreground. Am I right, or am I totally off base?

All that aside, I've noticed something else about colors: The color of horror is black. Here's a photo of a semi-random assortment of horror books (mostly short story collections) from my bookshelf.

As you can see, they're mostly black. In fact, the only one that doesn't feature the color black as a major design element is Stephen King's Night Shift. As far as contrasting colors go, I'm seeing a lot of red/orange/gold (all pretty much the same to me) and some white. A little bit of bilious green here and there.

Even if this photo were blurred beyond recognition, you could probably tell that these were horror books just from the colors. Why is that? Why do these colors, and black in particular, signify horror? Could horror still look like horror with different colors? Do any other genres have limited palettes like this? I'm curious to hear your observations.

Re: Opionions, Please - Lapedra

E -

Thank you for your feedback. I was really worried about the concept, but I'll forge ahead now.  See you Thurs....and good luck with your design. :)

Re: Opinions, Please - Lapedra

Lapedra, I REALLY like this. I like the yellow color you've chosen and how it mimics the wood color. And I think the type treatment is so clever. You just keep getting better and better!

Re: Disappointing Cover

Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold, written by C.S. Lewis, was sitting on my bookshelf and I recently (finally) picked it up to read. I think I stole it from the Cranston, RI library about 10 years ago. Not so much stole, but borrowed and never gave back. This novel, published in 1956, is a retelling of the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche. I never got big into Greek mythology and literature in college, even though I was essentially a Literature major. I opted for American Literature instead. So I figured, despite the cover, perhaps this would be a good read. And it was!

The novel is about two princesses - one beautiful and one unattractive - Cupid and Psyche and what is truly pure and profane. It is about questioning God in a community that puts their faith in people and their God at the source of pain. The cover that I have at home, however, does nothing for me:

 

 

Opinions, Please - Lapedra

Hey everyone -

So I'm in the midst of revising my book cover, and based on the class feedback, I needed to make the jacket a little fancier.  So I did.  However, I think the jacket by itself is not as interesting, so I wanted to do a title
treatment with a little flare and add to the meaning of "time" weaving in and out.  Please let me know your opinions. Color?

Thanks,

LP

Re: Great Book, Disappointing Cover

I was pretty disappointed with the cover of Turtle Recall: The Discworld Companion...so far.

I'm disappointed not by Paul Kidby's art-- he's probably the finest Discworld artist there is-- but with the title font. That uneven slab serif looks like a generic "comedy" font to me, and it's just lazy. There's no subtlety or nuance. I very much doubt that Pratchett, Briggs or Kidby had any input into the cover design after the painting was completed.

Great Book -- Disappointing Cover

For this topic, I thought of a throwback -- The Giver. A know a few of us in class already mentioned both dislike and like for this book. I was the latter. The Giver is essentially a dystopian children's novel. In order to prevent any pain and anguish, the society has converted to "Sameness" -- there is no crime, no unemployment and no fear of war or any danger. No one has any memory of their former life except for "The Giver". I don't like this cover because I remember reading the story and my mind always went back to the man on the book cover -- rather than dreaming up my own image of The Giver. The book didn't allow me to have an imagination about who this person was and what he looked like, I could only see a old man with a long, gray beard in my head.

Also, the "tear" in the corner to show a brief window into what used to be with the trees and sunlight just really isn't executed well. If I hadn't been forced to read this for school, I would never have stopped to pick this book up.

P.S. I have been dealing with a nasty bug since yesterday -- if I'm not in class tomorrow, that's unfortunately why. I'll try to post my progress on the blog when I'm feeling better!

Re: Tairran

I agree with Stacy, Tairran. I like where you're going with this, but the cut up picture is a little overwhelming. I think your shattered glass concept was much stronger. If you choose to stick with this one, you might think about lessening the drop shadow, fixing the dark areas on the right side so they look more seamless, and making the title pop more. Right now, it's getting lost in the mix. Good luck!

Re: Nathan

Hi Nathan, I don't have much to offer other than what Tairran has already said. I agree with her that the people being in different colors is a bit distracting. I'm glad you showed the progression of changes, because looking back, I do prefer the people being all that same shade of darker blue. Also looking back, I like the first option without the light burst. I do like the color of blue you've made the main figure in your most recent option though. Good luck!

Re: Tairran

Hey Tairran! I sorta get where you are going with your idea, but I'm not sure if it's working quite as well yet. Can I ask what wasn't working about the shattered glass idea? Was it just the imagery? Was it the type with the imagery? I did a quick iStock look (and filtered the results for affordable images) for "shattered glass" and I saw some that I thought might work. (If you click here you can see the results  but then, to filter, unclick "Illustrations" and "Videos" in the left column and drag down the price bar to one dollar sign). If you really don't want to go with the shattered glass idea then maybe you just need to push the idea of fiction vs reality more in the cover you are working on? I'm not sure how you can or should do that though... Sorry, I'm not sure I was very much help.

More InDesign Favorites

Hey class! I just saw a similar topic to our InDesign posts on AIGA's forum on Linkedin. Someone asked "what tool/function has been most important to you and why?" There are a couple interesting responses so I thought I would share. You can read them all here.

Great Book, Disappointing Cover

PUSH, by Sapphire

I really loved this book. It's a small book, but packed with a lot...emotionally.  In the beginning, the book is hard to read because the book is written in the voice of Precious..and she speaks in broken English and is speaking in an incomprehensible manner.  Then as Precious' education and mindset changes, the language in the book changes to reflect that.  So I liked that.  This book really made you feel like you were the character or feel exactly what she is feeling.

The book was made into the heartbreaking movie, "Precious."

However, I don't particularly like the cover.  You can't really get a read on what the story is about and I'm not sure if that is good or bad.  It seem to be cheap, but the story is rich.

Re: Great Book, Disappointing Cover

Sadly, when I moved to Baltimore last summer I had to leave almost all of my books behind so I was having trouble thinking of books that I enjoyed with poor covers without the visual in front of me. I have not read Sue Grafton's novels but they are a great example of poor cover design. She wrote a series of New York Times bestselling mystery novels each featuring a letter of the alphabet in the title. Below are a couple of covers from the series. The design is very lackluster and speaks nothing about the story. I think that focusing on the letter is fine but it so incredibly boring. There is so much wasted opportunity here for interesting typography. 

Re: Great Book, Disappointing Cover

Megan, I'd say my pick this week would be "The Overflowing Brain: Information Overload and the Limits of Working Memory" by Torkel Klingberg. I love Klingberg's way of breaking down cognitive research into consumable bits for lay audiences.

About the book: We use working memory to specifically remember and recall certain things, such as going into a grocery store for a carton of milk. But then, we spot a really good deal in the deli section and while at it, your mom calls about a weekend get-together. All of a sudden, you can't remember what you first came in the store for! This shows how our brains have capacity limitations when processing information, and Klingberg talks through many facets of working memory and how it affects our response to certain situations. One example is the "Cocktail Party Effect." We've been in group settings before where even in the middle of a stimulating conversation with one group, if you hear your name being mentioned in nearby proximity, your ears perk up to that conversation, haha. This is where working memory comes in to control our attention. People respond in varying degrees, but psychologists found an emerging pattern: those with lowest working memory capacity are easily distracted when placed in these situations.

About the cover: I learned quite a bit from the book about working memory and attention that I feel terrible to say that so much of the cover is oh so bad. Where do I begin?

• Typography: The Comic Sans-esque font in combination with an all caps traditional serif font just does not work. At first glance, I could see people overlooking this book while browsing the book stands. It doesn't quite look authoritative enough or humorous enough (by the way, there's no humor in the book!)
• Icon: The use of an icon of a brain (and the rays) seems redundant and unnecessary in conveying subject matter.
• Photo Illustration: I like the concept of the post-its to resemble just how hard our working memory juggles for us, but I can't say the same about the execution:
• Background post-its (this part's not so bad--it does capture the concept)
• Cropped back of the head that is clearly photoshopped with an unrealistic drop shadow
• Flat post-it that doesn't quite look like it would stay on the man's head well. It almost appears like a mean trick someone else played on this poor guy who didn't realize he's been walking around with a post-it on his head (ee!!).

With that said, I promise this is a much better read than the cover leads us to believe. :)

Thanks, all!

Thanks for the advice about serif fonts. You all echo what I've always been taught, so I'll stick with the rules!

Re: Great Book, Disappointing Cover

Stacy, I would venture that most of Philippa Gregory's book covers leave something to be desired. Which is too bad because I really do enjoy her books.

I'm not a JRR Tolkien fan. But I know more quite a bit about him and his stories because of my husband's obsession. He has this copy of The Hobbit (he actually has several different copies of The Hobbit, but that's a different conversation) and I've always been puzzled by it.

This book has actually be redesigned countless times, some better than others. This hilarious attempt was for the 50th anniversary of The Hobbit back in the 80s. Not only is the text bound by those horrible white lines, but the "illustration" is not working at all. Bilbo looks nothing like he should and Gollum? Absolutely not. Their interaction is laughable too. Even if the illustration/picture/thing was working, it's completely boxed in with that silly arch.

For true fans, here's a Pinterest board with the many faces that The Hobbit has worn over the years.

Thoughts?......

I couldn't get the shattered glass to work. So I decided to show fiction vs reality in a different way while incorporating the poetry. I'm still working on the back cover of the jacket not really sure what to put there. I appreciate any input. Thanks Ladies and Nathan.

Re: e./Nathan/Disappointing Book Covers

Emily great question! I don't remember reading any books with sans-serif fonts, except short stories and some memoirs. So I'd have to agree with Stacy and Lapedra on this one.

Nathan, I'm not sure about the people on the bottom being in different colors. They were less distracting when they were dark blue. I don't think you need the ray anymore if you add the people on the bottom. I personally think you should work off the first version of the man with the heart on his crotch (I really like that one). Just change the T (maybe make it smaller and change the typeface), maybe the pills should be smaller and only in one hand, and although I like the heart see how the cover looks without it (or smaller).

Now for disappointing book covers..

I remember reading this book, or part of it at least in school. The book is about WWII you would think the cover would be more interesting than this.

 

Published in 1992

Published in 2012

Considering the topic the content in the 1992 version isn't bad at all. It's a shame the book looks like this on the outside because somebody interested in politics or history might be a little turned off by the cover.