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Typograwhat?

Posted on January 15, 2014June 19, 2014 by Loni Townsend

If you’ve followed me for some time, you’ve probably seen me mention The Book Designer. Halfway through each month, Joel has a post about e-Book cover designs. I’m always looking for ways to improve, so I submitted Thanmir War for December’s collection.
Thanmir_War_small
Joel will make comments just below each cover if he has them, and that is what I was hoping for. I’m about halfway down the page, and there are a lot of submissions, so it might be easier just to CTRL + F and search for Loni Townsend. But I’d recommend looking at all of the covers and Joel’s individual comments, if you have time.

Joel’s comments for me:

JF: A great job for your first time out. Keeping a simple palette and focusing on one main graphic element really helps, but you’ll need much better typography to get to the next level.

So I asked him what he meant (you can find this in the actual comment section at the bottom of the page) and he indicated the title didn’t have much of an impact.

Oh.

I have no formal design training, nor would I say I have an eye for it. Pretty much all of my graphical design experience comes from self-taught dabbling and getting feedback on what does and doesn’t work for everyone else. You can read about my cover creation experience here: The Cover.

Typography is something I haven’t studied. But looking at the title again, I can see how it pales compared to the rest of the design. Perhaps it needs to be bigger. Maybe have a background. Maybe remove the shadow. Seeing I only got this feedback a couple days ago, I haven’t figured it out yet. But, like all things books, I am embarking on personal study and intend to improve.

I’ll be sure to post any useful tips/links that I find!

What are your opinions on the cover/title? Do you have any typography suggestions or maybe resources to check out?

8 thoughts on “Typograwhat?”

  1. Melissa Maygrove says:
    January 15, 2014 at 10:12 AM

    I like your cover. It’s unique. And I don’t think your title looks bad.

    I don’t have an eye for this stuff or training either, so I’m at a loss to suggest any improvement.

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      January 15, 2014 at 6:13 PM

      I’m glad you like it. The great thing about making the covers is the use of layers, so I can play with different title styles without losing this one.

      Reply
  2. Crystal Collier says:
    January 15, 2014 at 11:29 AM

    I think you do have an interesting cover, but if you want to set off the title more, a darker backdrop would set off the contrast splendidly. Or there’s always the chiseling affect. *shrugs* I

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      January 15, 2014 at 6:14 PM

      Oooh, chiseling. I think I’ll try it!

      Reply
  3. Aldrea Alien says:
    January 15, 2014 at 11:04 PM

    Part of me wonders if it’s because the writing tends to frame the tree.
    I do tend to find my eye is drawn to the image rather than the title, then your name pops out as I follow the line of the trunk. Is that what he’s possibly talking about?

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      January 16, 2014 at 1:18 PM

      I think that’s it–the whole glossing over the title in favor of the image. Gotta find some way to make it pop!

      Reply
  4. Christy Hovey says:
    January 16, 2014 at 6:00 PM

    I love that you submitted your work to him and he gave you constructive advice. There are so many facets to this business! Crazy!

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      January 16, 2014 at 7:42 PM

      The business is a bit daunting, if you ask me. But there are tons of people like Joel willing to give a helping hand with the goal of making the book business a good one.

      Reply

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Welcome to my blog. I post here on Wednesdays most of the time, but you can find me on social media any day of the week. My topics include my stories and writing, life at the Town's End, creating and tinkering with graphics, things I learn and think might be helpful to others, and the occasional amateur photo. Thanks for stopping by! I hope to see you around.

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