Colored cover to one of our titles.

[Kors]

Cover to one of our new books....

C&Cs welcome and appreciated

[Bishop]

It looks very busy... Maybe it's due to me not really knowing your characters, etc., but it is hard to make out what's what, and the text seems jumbled and out of place.

Just my 2 cents...

[Magnus]

This'll be harsh, but here goes...

The colours aren't the problem here, although they aren't very good. What's with the gun? It's hard to see it's a gun, and it's pointing "out" from the book, not "into" it. Left = leaving story, right = entering story. All the logos and text looks tacky, and not tacky as in a designed way, but just thrown on there for information's sake. The faces of the characters are looking at the black guy, but why? And what is that he's holding? A knife? Are the two red things on the tip of it boobs or eyes? What's the reason of the circles in the background? It's all flat, despite putting the faces behind one another. The gun's to blame, and the background. What's the real motif of the cover? The gun, or the guy with the knife, or the other characters? Is the title "Stories of Madpress, Sadness, Gladness, Radness and Other Things Like Good and Badness"? Why isn't that centered on the cover? The publisher logo feels tacked on, totally off. Then again, everything is. The Featuring section with the logos isn't centered either. All the text is making the cover tip over to the right, yet the gun and all the characters are pointing the other way, but there's no balance anyway.

The thing that I like is that the gun smokes, but that hardly helps on the overall feel of this.

If you've made it tacky and sloopy by choice, you've still failed. It looks slapped together in an amateurish way, not designed. Has there been any thought as to what the elements actually do on the cover?

Sorry, that was harsh. But I find honesty is more helpful than a pat on the back.

Hope you guys have time to redo this cover, because I honestly think it'll turn people away, rather than intrigue them.


:M:
www.magnus-aspli.com

[Kors]

Originally Posted by Magnus

This'll be harsh, but here goes...

The colours aren't the problem here, although they aren't very good. What's with the gun? It's hard to see it's a gun, and it's pointing "out" from the book, not "into" it. Left = leaving story, right = entering story. All the logos and text looks tacky, and not tacky as in a designed way, but just thrown on there for information's sake. The faces of the characters are looking at the black guy, but why? And what is that he's holding? A knife? Are the two red things on the tip of it boobs or eyes? What's the reason of the circles in the background? It's all flat, despite putting the faces behind one another. The gun's to blame, and the background. What's the real motif of the cover? The gun, or the guy with the knife, or the other characters? Is the title "Stories of Madpress, Sadness, Gladness, Radness and Other Things Like Good and Badness"? Why isn't that centered on the cover? The publisher logo feels tacked on, totally off. Then again, everything is. The Featuring section with the logos isn't centered either. All the text is making the cover tip over to the right, yet the gun and all the characters are pointing the other way, but there's no balance anyway.

The thing that I like is that the gun smokes, but that hardly helps on the overall feel of this.

If you've made it tacky and sloopy by choice, you've still failed. It looks slapped together in an amateurish way, not designed. Has there been any thought as to what the elements actually do on the cover?

Sorry, that was harsh. But I find honesty is more helpful than a pat on the back.

Hope you guys have time to redo this cover, because I honestly think it'll turn people away, rather than intrigue them.


:M:
www.magnus-aspli.com

I see...definitely an ouch there...but that's what crits are for...since I'm doin the colors I'd particularly like to know whats not so hot about the colors.
But thank you for the content crits too.

And yes the gun smokes...he's a robotic gun guy who smokes...

[Bishop]

Originally Posted by Kors

r...since I'm doin the colors I'd particularly like to know whats not so hot about the colors.

It's all very flat and muddy. There doesn't seem to be a color scheme that you are following at all. No light source creating any real shading. These almost look like Flats, but it is obvious there has been an attempt at adding depth. I'd suggest looking at some books that have a style you like and trying to emulate that. If you need help with technique, or how to work your layers on Photoshop, there are a ton of tutorials on Youtube, etc.

The text really needs to be re-thought. It is distracting, and way too much for a cover. Do you really need the "Featuring..." bit at the bottom? Do people know those characters enough to care that they are featured? Are the characters on the cover? If so, you don't need to have the cover text telling us they are in the book. I'd recommend rethinking/condensing the title as well. Too long...

[Kors]

Originally Posted by Bishop

It's all very flat and muddy. There doesn't seem to be a color scheme that you are following at all. No light source creating any real shading. These almost look like Flats, but it is obvious there has been an attempt at adding depth. I'd suggest looking at some books that have a style you like and trying to emulate that. If you need help with technique, or how to work your layers on Photoshop, there are a ton of tutorials on Youtube, etc.

The text really needs to be re-thought. It is distracting, and way too much for a cover. Do you really need the "Featuring..." bit at the bottom? Do people know those characters enough to care that they are featured? Are the characters on the cover? If so, you don't need to have the cover text telling us they are in the book. I'd recommend rethinking/condensing the title as well. Too long...

At least for the featuring part there is a reasoning....its a compilation book. Different stories from different characters in the universe.