Does art matter in a publication?

[WhatGravitas]

Art is great. And important - humans are pretty visual beings, and hence good art really catches your imagination.

The flipside of that is that bad art is worse than the absence of art.

Cheers, LT.

 

[Gundark]

YES!​

When 4e came out, I cringed at below par the art was.

You're kidding right? The 4e art for the most part is head and shoulders above 3e art.

 

[Serendipity]

You're kidding right? The 4e art for the most part is head and shoulders above 3e art.

Eh. The art in 4e is, to me, just as bland and forgettable as the art in 3e was.
Of course, "art" is (more than most) highly subjective.

 

[joethelawyer]

You're kidding right? The 4e art for the most part is head and shoulders above 3e art.

though i do like to stir things up from time to time here, i didn't actually intend this to be a 3e v 4e art war.

 

[Zaukrie]

I thing I despise about art is MM or monster entries in any book w/o art. Especially for monsters that have no real life allegory. I was amazed at the lack of art in the monster section of the draconomican. I think there are a few that I have no idea what they are/look like.

I like good, evocative art. It helps fuel the imagination for me as a DM.

 

[JackSmithIV]

though i do like to stir things up from time to time here, i didn't actually intend this to be a 3e v 4e art war.

It'll always happen. They'll always find a way you use (insert word here) to criticize 4th Edition. It won't stop for many years to come, god knows why.

 

[JoeGKushner]

You're kidding right? The 4e art for the most part is head and shoulders above 3e art.

The parts recycled from 3rd ed from various places like the MM or Martial Power or ?

 

[Turjan]

For my appreciation of a publication, art plays a major role. A good image can say more than thousand words (to use an old, tired saying).

The tricky question is: Does it help sales? That's much harder to tell, because most previews don't contain art previews.

 

[RangerWickett]

No edition war for me, but Todd Lockwood (see most of the iconics in 3e) beats the pants off of Anne Stokes (see any Eladrin in 4e) or Ralph Horsey (chapter 1 opening in the 4e DMG).

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I am not sure how much the art itself matters to me. I certainly like good pieces, but I think on the rare occassions I buy books "physically" instead of online, I would just try to get an overall impression.

It seems to be more about "production values" - is there art, is it in color, large, often?