Evolution of design

I love, love, love this video of the making of a book cover design. I know firsthand just how hard it is to come up with the design at all, let alone trying to make it look something like what you imagined, and my own amateur attempt was much simpler than this one. Simply fascinating!

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I also love that this video is being used for book promotion, which is incredibly clever and smart. Got to envy that author for her very savvy agent and publisher’s marketing department…that kind of innovation and publisher push is, from everything I’ve read, not common.

via Agent Kristen @ Pub Rants

Comments

[Jeena]

That was a really well-composed and interesting video, I have to say. Very pretty cover, too!

[Anne Hawley]

That video is fantastic. I love how they shortened the modern model's eyelashes for a better period effect!

I've done just enough photo-manipulation and collaging to have a very clear idea how much work and concentration is represented. It does make me wonder, though, whether an original painting might not have been less effort.

[Writer's Cramp]

Jeena: Really does make you think about all the thought and work that goes into cover design. Or some designs, at least.

[Writer's Cramp]

Anne: Me, too. I'm guessing maybe it's cheaper doing it digitally? Or maybe they were just very wedded to a particular vision and knew that digital would make that happen?

What kills me is all the subtle fine-tuning -- the eyelashes, as you mention, as well as the little tweaks they do to her hair, chin, and hands, and changing the color on the umbrella, cutting back the line of the skirt...little touches that no doubt had an overall effect, but the kind of thing you would never notice unless you saw them done or had them pointed out to you.

I got this from her agent's blog, and she specifically brought up the Eiffel Tower "oops!", which the author caught. So cool!