This was the stage my book cover was at during the work-in-progress exhibition. After receiving feedback on my work I was still in need of doing some colour changes to it and adding certain elements. The main feedback I received was:
Colour:
Beautiful colour palette & choice of shapes
Strong colour palette and the abstract figures work really well
Type:
Try to look into different type fonts & colour of type
Work on the font and scale - think of composition
Continue to experiment on your fonts and the readability of the words - could be bolder
Maybe make the title bolder to make it stand out
Consider adding something to the left side of the back cover as it feels a little empty, especially compared to the vividness of the front
Overall:
Abstraction is really effective - vibrant but has space to breathe
Very bold and futurist view
Colourful and vivid - just like the 12 stories in the book
It’s abstract and seems to represent not one character but many and makes it easier for readers to relate to it. Also being abstract helps incorporate the “Other” well.
Timelapse of my process for the book cover
I worked on all these elements to improve the outcome of my book cover before I submitted it to the Penguin competition.
Although I felt like I had a good colour palette, some of them still needed adjusting or changing to ensure a more vivid outcome. I made some of them brighter, and changed the colour of other shapes entirely to allow them to stand out more.
After reading my type-based feedback I realised that I should try less to incorporate the type into the design, as it makes the title less readable. I went for a bolder font, but still stuck with a freestyle/handwritten font, as I think it fits best with the content of this book. Rather than letting the title flow alongside the shapes themselves, I placed it at the top of the cover to fill some of the empty space and let it stand out. I also moved the authors name further below into one of the shapes next to the Penguin logo.
Lastly, I added some of the shapes into the back cover as I think the feedback was right in saying it looks a little empty compared to the vividness of the front. Overall the feedback was really helpful in enabling me to improve my book cover.
