Heeeelp Pleeease!
stag
Posts: 2,083MI6 Agent
I am in the process of designing a book cover for my forthcoming spy thriller. As you will gather I am not very good at the design side of things & I would like your opinions on this 'first draft' of a cover. I am not happy with it myself but, as said, it is the first go. I need to know where I am going wrong or how I can improve it. Any help/tips/constructive criticism will be welcomed. Thanks in advance.
Adam Chance is my pen name.
BTW clicking on the image brings it up in supersize so best just to view as is.
Adam Chance is my pen name.
BTW clicking on the image brings it up in supersize so best just to view as is.
Comments
The font, on the other hand, is a very generic thriller/action font. Perhaps a less generic, more "gentleman"-style font contrasting with more dramatic colours and cover design could work?
Story could be incorporated into the cover ?
Also please don't think I'm having a go. I know how personal creative things
Can be, only my unprofessional opinion.
Jokey answer, have you tried sticking a semi naked girl on the cover ?
I would like to point out that the book itself is set in WW2 &, to me at least, the cover looks a little 'sixties'. I had thought about doing it in the style of a dossier with 'top secret' stamps etc but really have no clue. As for the girl, well lifting stuff off the net to use is a no no &, frankly, if I took a photo of the wife I would need a bigger cover!!!!
I can assure you all that the actual book is far better than my rubbish attempts at design.
Holding a gun pointing at reader, with a ladies hand reaching from behind ( nice
Red nails etc) to undo one of the buttons ?
Or....
Her hand pulling out from his jacket an envelope marked Top Secret ?
With nail art, you could have the hammer and sickle painted on the red nails, for
the Russian flag or swastak, if it's more about fighting the Nazis in WW2. Perhaps
On only one nail, so it stands out. ?
The Nazi flag, with a good old service revolver, and a rose across it. A good
Homage to the art work for Casino Royale.
Good luck with the design, stag.
I'm afraid this isn't my area of expertise so I'll pass on that.
Here are some examples:
FRWL (note how the colours aren't working very well)
I also cannot afford to pay anyone to undertake this (I am but a poor pensioner!)
Rather than photography a sort of illustration in the same vein. I could possibly do that but obviously I wanbt it to be right. No24 has given me an idea. Much of the critial action scenes are set in one particular place so I will have another go incorporating that into the design with blood red & black as the dominant colours.
Thanks & please keep the comments coming in.
that wouldn't be hard to set up.
strategy etc, it's always been used as a symbol, for the world of politics.
They're also plentiful and easy to get, the shadow of bombers flying over
Would look great .
In case anyone thinks I'm obsessed with Nazi symbols. I'm only suggesting
Them because Nazis sell, Books, documentaries, films. People are fascinated by
Them. So having a war theme and a swastak on the cover, would help sell books.
Any better? It alludes to the villains of the piece & their lair. I know there is a big gap at the TLH side, any suggestions how this could be filled? I originally thought of puuting the title there but 'ungentlemanly' is a tad too long?
Target, or cross hairs of a sniper rifle ? Maybe a bit of a map showing Britain
Or the south coast ? Either way that cover looks great? -{
This is too dramatic. Almost the whole cover is red, and the swastika/nazi flag is too dominant. If you saw this book at only a few yards a way, you would only see the nazi flag. This will put off many Readers.
The consept isn't bad. The castle on the mountain and the circle with the swastica might work. Use the red on a smaller part of the cover and possibly make the swastica circle smaller so it looks like an threathening moon is worth consideration. The silhouette of the main character in the left foreground might work too. The crosshairs of a sniper's rifle on the cover has been done to death, and combined with the swastica it would be a complete overkill.
Skulls are very in at the minute too, so you might want to add one of those too - just look at my avatar for the sort of thing you could go in for.
Well of course we don't want to send out the wrong message with the cover art but many spy thrillers do utilize these historical symbols on their various covers (not to mention the many history books on Hitler and the Nazis that use their flag as a symbol for their evil).
You can't have enough Nazi memorabilia round your home.
Really gives it that WOW factor.
Re the Swastika, it is supposed to symbolise the moon & the castle is the HQ of the enemy which features heavily in the story. The blood red, well there is a lot of blood spilled hence - the ungentlemanly aspect of the story.
http://www.cdn.tv2.no/multimedia/TV2/archive/00969/r_d-1024_969993a.jpg
I see the shadow swastica on the moon being a bit like this when it comes to colours etc:
https://windmillsbyfy.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/eros-fantasma-tumblr_lklwsqym4t1qfdig2o1_5001.gif?w=491&h=286
( Mr Stamper) is in it.
My story is very much set on earth. There is much violence, some skullduggery, & a little kissing!