Need help choosing a new face
- Thread starter Dolmen Creative
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Nifft
Penguin Herder
Cover 1 is brighter, but lacks cohesion, and the 6 doesn't stand out against the darkness of the logo. You've got four different tone sets (and their contrasts don't match), so it's actually harder to read the logo even though overall the whole is brighter: the interior of the logo -- the actual letters which you're supposed to read -- should have a higher contrast than the outline of the logo. As it is, the eye is drawn to the logo, but then glosses over it as a single dark lump. You've got three bands of divergent contrast going on.
Cover 2 is cohesive, the logo fits its background, the 6 stands out, and there aren't three different clashing color schemes. It holds together, and it's easy on the eyes. If you wanted to lighten it up, you could put more texture in the big black zone.
I voted for 2. IMHO cohesion and legibility trump shiny.
Cheers, -- N
PS: In terms of logo legibility, I'd recommend:
- Remove the ligatures from the "n". As they're used now, they muddle the space between the "i" and the "n" (instead, remove the ligatures between the "i" and the "n", and just tighten up the kerning between them). The ligature between the "n" and the "y" isn't bad, but it's not nearly as cool as the "esti" bundle. The "esti" bundle improves legibility, while the "ny" ligature just muddies the space between the letters.
- Drop the skull and make the "D" bigger. Right now it takes a bit of thinking to recognize that the "D" and the "6" are supposed to go together. It looks more like "Destiny / skull 6", which makes no sense. If the "D" is blatantly bigger than the "estiny", it's easier to parse that it's meant to be used for two different things. If you want to make it really easy for the reader, use some red in the "D", perhaps an outline, highlight, or drop shadow. Clue him in that he's supposed to associate the "D" with the "6".
Cover 2 is cohesive, the logo fits its background, the 6 stands out, and there aren't three different clashing color schemes. It holds together, and it's easy on the eyes. If you wanted to lighten it up, you could put more texture in the big black zone.
I voted for 2. IMHO cohesion and legibility trump shiny.
Cheers, -- N
PS: In terms of logo legibility, I'd recommend:
- Remove the ligatures from the "n". As they're used now, they muddle the space between the "i" and the "n" (instead, remove the ligatures between the "i" and the "n", and just tighten up the kerning between them). The ligature between the "n" and the "y" isn't bad, but it's not nearly as cool as the "esti" bundle. The "esti" bundle improves legibility, while the "ny" ligature just muddies the space between the letters.
- Drop the skull and make the "D" bigger. Right now it takes a bit of thinking to recognize that the "D" and the "6" are supposed to go together. It looks more like "Destiny / skull 6", which makes no sense. If the "D" is blatantly bigger than the "estiny", it's easier to parse that it's meant to be used for two different things. If you want to make it really easy for the reader, use some red in the "D", perhaps an outline, highlight, or drop shadow. Clue him in that he's supposed to associate the "D" with the "6".
Asmor
First Post
Maybe it's just me, but the first cover screams 'D&D 4th Edition' to me. It looks very derivative of the style used in 4th edition books, with the logo over a wide, creamy band along the top, the title along a narrower band at the bottom, and a large background image taking up most of the space...
Ed_Laprade
Adventurer
Voted for #1. If you're going to use a painting on the cover, use it! Was tempted to vote for #2, but the artist in me just wouldn't let me.
I preferred #2. In particular, I had the feeling I was viewing through a spyglass, and I felt the potential of surrounding setting. Like, I could almost pan it around if I tried hard enough. It was seductive for me, anyway. I completely missed the "6" in the logo in both covers until it was called upthread.
I'm also colorblind, so yeah.
I don't think I could call myself an artist, but one hard lesson I need to continually keep in mind in creating anything is the value of the judicious crop. (Also e.g. watching films where the director is too in love with everything he shot for his own good.) The value is subjective and often unconscious, but from what I wrote above it should be clear the current case crosses that threshold for me.
I'm also colorblind, so yeah.
I don't think I could call myself an artist, but one hard lesson I need to continually keep in mind in creating anything is the value of the judicious crop. (Also e.g. watching films where the director is too in love with everything he shot for his own good.) The value is subjective and often unconscious, but from what I wrote above it should be clear the current case crosses that threshold for me.
Last edited:
Dice4Hire
First Post
I would have to go for the second cover. It has a strong style and the circle looks like a spyglass looking in on the world, something I want to explore. In addition, the title is stronger, especially the 6, which is importnat for the 6th printing of a book, or the 6th book in a series (honestly I do not know)
The 1st cover is weak, and does not really do anything for me.
The 1st cover is weak, and does not really do anything for me.
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