B&W or Color?

[dead]

I am geniunely baffled that ANYBODY would choose B&W under the parameters of same cost, much less that several folks here did so! I guess I could at least understand it if it was a cost increase, but even then, I would choose Color. Books with beautiful production values like the Dragonomicon are clearly enhanced by their color illustrations.

I'm a graphic designer and sometimes, even though the budget allows for full-colour production, I will consciously choose to design a publication in b/w or 2-colour to enhance the effect I'm going for.

There's the belief that full-colour pics always helps us better "visualise" the message. But I'm not so sure . . . I, personally have no problem with b/w if it suits the publication design and style of illustration.

 

[cleavthorn]

Brannon and I appreciate all the feedback!

I truly think we're learning here, about a great many things.

I appreciate the simplicity and "feel-good-I-lived-through-the-80's-and-1st-edition-D&D" B&W, myself.

 

[Mercule]

I am geniunely baffled that ANYBODY would choose B&W under the parameters of same cost, much less that several folks here did so! I guess I could at least understand it if it was a cost increase, but even then, I would choose Color. Books with beautiful production values like the Dragonomicon are clearly enhanced by their color illustrations.

A conclusion that I'm starting to come to is that I just don't like the medium (watercolor, I believe) used in many of the 3E books.

I thought it was the manga style, but there is less of that, now -- although I still don't care for manga artwork. I thought it was the "vogue" poses and a background-less setup, but I've found other works that use a similar touch and liked them. So, I'm left with something else. The medium is my current scapegoat.

Regardless of whether I can put my finger on it, though, I generally dislike the 3E art, with the notable exception of the Da Vinci sketch-styled chapter headers.

 

[BigFreekinGoblinoid]

Hey Ashy - This is a "Loaded" Poll! As an art director, I'm sure what you really want to know is how much more would the sweet spot of potential buyers be willing to pay for color with all else being the same. My answer is 10%.

 

[Trickstergod]

Depends on the product, actually.

Take for example, the Ravenloft and Midnight Campaign Settings.

I'd almost always prefer black and white in those instances. It's more appropriate to them, in my opinion. As a matter of fact, outside of the map in the Midnight main book, I find the first few color pages to almost be out of place.

In other places, though? Assuming same price?

Color, probably. It shouldn't make a book more interesting to read, but by wanting to at least look at it, it draws the eye, and makes me read a bit more simply for my attention being drawn. Particularly for fairly dry text-book like RPG books, such as many of the Wizards of the Coast ones are, color's a welcome thing. Other settings or book types it just fits for. The Forgotten Realms? Not a big fan, but it's a "color" setting. Planescape? Definitely color. Dragonlance? It focuses on dragons of different color. Color, of course.

It's a matter of the books content, though. As I said, Ravenloft and Midnight are both books I'd prefer in black and white for the most part. Really can't vote on the poll, because it's a bit too simplistic for my tastes.

 

[Ashy]

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the votes and the replies -great info all along! Oh, and BFG - I am no longer Bastion's AD!

 

[Pants]

I prefer color, because (unfortunately) I'm a sucker for a nice looking book. A B&W book can be (often very) nice looking, but with equal quality art, I'd rather have the color version.

 

[BigFreekinGoblinoid]

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the votes and the replies -great info all along! Oh, and BFG - I am no longer Bastion's AD!

Oh! Some of the greatest romances in history were one night affairs I am told...

Well, if we are talking strictly .pdf's then, B&W is the way to go IMO!