Color?

[V_Shane]

Well if its a sign o' the times. I recently (month ago) sent in a b/w portfolio to WOTC. The Art Dir. said the she just got word a week prior that WOTC will no longer be producing b/w art for thier future products, ALL COLOR. Bummed me out considering this is the first time I was actually able to get a response out of them by phone, finally got a portfolio in edge wise and it was all b/w. Ah well.

But anyway, it seems the trend and b/w apparently to thier marketers seems to represent lower sales. I too love b/w, its my B&B most of the time, this is definatley a trend I would dread.

 

[cleavthorn]

Sorry to hear that V shane.

I mostly do B&W as well, so that too bums me out.

As for the B&W vs. color cover, I say (as someone who also works in the industry) that quality, not color will mark the mag.

 

[cleavthorn]

Sorry to hear that V shane.

I mostly do B&W as well, so that too bums me out.

As for the B&W vs. color cover, I say (as someone who also works in the industry) that quality, not color will mark the mag.

 

[cleavthorn]

Sorry to hear that V shane.

I mostly do B&W as well, so that too bums me out.

As for the B&W vs. color cover, I say (as someone who also works in the industry) that quality, not color will mark the mag.

 

[Myris]

Quick opinion question: We just released the first issue of Buccaneers & Bokor, our bi-monthly support ezine for Skull & Bones. It's selling pretty well, but I was wondering something.

We did the layout in black-and-white, with no extensive graphic borders. Just text, in columns, with b&w art. With the cover, we went b&w as well, going for a layout similar to the 19th-and-early-20th century dime novels which featured tales of pirates (see the above B&B link for a thumbnail).

The reason we chose this layout style was because we felt that it made things easier on folks looking to print it out.

However, looking around on RPGNow, I see 9 out of 10 products with full-color covers, and many with full-color interiors. So, it makes me wonder if color translates into more sales.

Thoughts?

GMS

My opinion is that b&w art on the cover does tend to make people think of a "cheap" product...BUT, of course, that doesn't mean that it's true. I personally didn't hear about your product until your magazine came out. Then I kept getting emails about how great it is, so I wouldn't worry too much. Perhaps, if you want to continue the b&w art motif, consider stating in the description that you are doing so in order to facilitate printing, as a service to your readers. Or, perhaps if it is possible to have color and b&w versions of the same magazine (stated as such in the description, of course), you can please both sides

I know that I'm doing a magazine right now, and it will have a color cover and both color and b&w interior art. But, since that seems to be the trend, perhaps your all b&w mag will stand out in the crowd

Good luck...I know your magazine is doing great, from what I hear from those that have bought it (I might add that my friends that have bought it are fairly tough critics, as well..). Congrats and don't stress too much over it

Myris

 

[tzor]

My opinion is that b&w art on the cover does tend to make people think of a "cheap" product...

I have the exact opposite reaction, but then again I am a relic of a bygone era of roleplaying. When I see a well detailed pen and ink drawing on the cover (as is the case with the B&B example) my mind wanders back to my old copy of the Ardruim Grimore, and then over to the image of Shandra the Castrator ... well what's left in my mind these days from that image and after a few minutes I come back to reality.

With print material, it seems the quality of the paper tended to attract me more than the color/b&w aspect of the material. With pdf it is a completely different story. Some things tend to look good in color, while some things seem to call for black and white. (And some things call for greyscale artwork.)