Friday, April 9, 2010

If I Were A Designer

A bit of housekeeping: I've decided to move Saturday Sketch to Friday Sketch, which is less alliterative but otherwise the same. The reason is simple—I'm going completely dark on weekends. Not even email. I know, wish me luck. I think it'll be really good for me, actually, to have a couple days away from this world to remember why I like it so much. So if you email me on a weekend, know I won't be seeing it until Monday.

Now, on the the silly stuff.

I did something last night that I swore I'd never do. I designed my own cover, and then felt really lame about it.

Though I do have design/art experience, my reasons for not designing a cover were many:

1) I didn't have Photoshop or Quark and couldn't do it properly anyway. That excuse was remedied a couple months ago.

2) Whatever I designed would never ever ever be the actual cover, and I didn't want to get attached to something.

3) What I envision for my cover is probably not at all what you expect, and I worry about what people think, despite my best efforts. It seems like people think it'll be way more "artsy" than it is.

4) I didn't want to admit that I think about my cover as much as I do. Curse you, wild imagination/lofty dreams!

5) I'm not THAT good. You guys are horribly kind about my art, but in the grand scheme of things I am an amateur.

But last night I designed my cover anyway. I've had this idea for a long time, and I just wanted to see what the concept would look like. If I were actually designing this, I'd do a few different word placements to see what looked best, but I'll just show you the prototype:
Not what you expected, huh. It's a verrrrry simple design, but I've always liked minimalist covers, and there's no doubt this would pop on a shelf. If you don't recognize the symbol, take a look:
I thought playing on street signs would be a cool thing to do if it ever turned into a series. Yes, because I'm THAT deluded. Plus, every time I see a Do Not Enter sign I picture ninja eyes in it. I can't help myself.

Also, this cover is fairly gender neutral, which is something I ultimately hope for in my cover. And according to me, it's FUNNY, which alludes to aspects of the book. Not only that, but it's slightly reminiscent of the Japanese flag. Oh, the layers of implication:)

So yeah, if I were a designer, this is what I'd do with my own cover. But I am completely aware that I won't have much say and I'm okay with that. Very okay. I mean, this is a pretty silly cover anyway. I bet real designers would come up with something way better.

35 comments:

  1. DUDE.

    That is beyond cool. I LOVE how it's all those things tied into one -- the Japanese flag, the sign, the ninja. So. Cool.

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  2. I love it!!! And a series with signs would rock. You're more talented than you give yourself credit for:)

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  3. It's cute. And it's fun to be creative and design your own cover. Have fun with it!

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  4. I instantly thought of the little ninja dude from the Chuck opening sequence when I saw this cover.

    Simple lasts in my mind when I'm trying to find a book in a bookstore, so for just a pie in the sky attempt it's a really cool cover.

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  5. Uh, I wouldn't count yourself out on this. That is a great, eye-catching cover, and the signs/series thing is definitely something I can see happening.

    Just between you and me (and your 500+ followers - lol), I am making a book trailer. Just for fun and to see if I can do it. I doubt I'll ever post it anywhere, but... Anyway, since I don't even have an agent, it's definitely a lame dorky thing to do, but I'm doing it anyway. :)

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  6. Sometimes designing your own cover makes you feel like your more apart of the process. I love your cover.

    Good luck

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  7. i really like it and agree it would be quite eye-catching...kind of like walmarts (heaven forbid walmart should be anything of an example)new stark great value lable...its all i see on the shelves if i break down and shop there.

    i will admit i didn't get the do not enter relation, but i totally saw the whole japanese flag thing workin for ya

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  8. i really like it and agree it would be quite eye-catching...kind of like walmarts (heaven forbid walmart should be anything of an example)new stark great value lable...its all i see on the shelves if i break down and shop there.

    i will admit i didn't get the do not enter relation, but i totally saw the whole japanese flag thing workin for ya

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  9. EMILY! Are you the Emily I think you are? I think you are. Dude, how ARE you?

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  10. I love it! I also love minimalist book covers, and the "Do Not Enter" ninja is clever!

    Enjoy your weekend off :)

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  11. Love it! And if designing your own mock book cover is lame, then I wonder what that says about people like me who make mock book trailers :P

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  12. (Psst. "Deluded," not "diluted." Unless, you know, you've had extra fluids put into your bloodstream too. :P)

    Back on point: I LOVE your concept for a cover. It's definitely a prototype, but it's a good one! I won't go all design firm-y on you (that's where I work) but I will say that the concepts -- the street sign, the Japanese flag, the ninja head -- are all working really well together.

    And I just love how your cleverness with words translates visually too. :)

    As for going dark on the weekends, woman, you are far, far more brave and valiant than I. I hope it works out for you. I *always* enjoy when I am unplugged for a bit, even if it's rarely by choice.

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  13. Kristan, thanks for the typo catch! And design firm? I'm gonna go hide in a hole now...

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  14. I told you, AWESOME. I would totally pick this up off a shelf! :)

    Good luck on the weekends. It's the only time I'm free enough to get on for more than 5 minutes at a time haha.

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  15. I like your cover design!

    And going dark on the weekend sounds like an excellent idea.

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  16. That's so cool! Love it. And don't feel bad about designing your own cover. I did it a couple weeks ago knowing full well I probably shouldn't. But whatever. Good luck with the weekend signing off.

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  17. i go completely dark on on weekends and i LOVE it!
    I'm sure you will too! It's very freeing

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  18. Okay, that is AWESOME. And HILARIOUS. Probably a lot like your book.

    Too bad you're probably right. It may never be the actual cover.

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  19. Very well done, and I'm not just saying that. The bright red contrast against the plain white DOES make it pop, and the clean, simple look is always pleasing. Just look at google.

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  20. haha! I love it! I will now forever see ninja eyes in Do Not Enter signs. :)

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  21. I like it b/c it's whimsical and has irreverent personality. And you say "silly" like that's a bad thing.

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  22. Definitely eye-popping! I hope you get something close to this -- or even better.

    None of my four covers came close to my imagination ... they far exceeded them! I'm very lucky that I've never cried about a cover.

    Isn't Photoshop and Quark ever so cool??

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  23. I would pick this up and read the blurb if I saw it in a store. Let us know how the going dark thing works out... I think I would go crazy!

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  24. That cover made me smile, which means I would definitely have picked it up at a bookstore for a closer look.

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  25. You know I LOVE this already. I just think it's brilliant!

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  26. LOVE the minimalist look. And clever with the sign look!

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  27. There were layers upon layers in that design, Natalie. Very...sneaky of you. ;)

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  28. Can you design our book cover? Pretty please? You seriously need to have some kind of contest where you design the winner's cover. SO fun. Love this, Natalie. You are one talented chick.

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  29. How did I not notice the allusion to the Japanese flag?

    I really like it. Simplicity jumps at ya in this overdone world. :)

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  30. This design proves you are part ninja. How stealthy and cool are you?! ;)

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  31. This is such a cool design, are you kidding?! I love the layers of meaning in it too. I think its great :)

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  32. Simple covers can be especially good in thumbnail form!

    Congratulations on taking a step back from the computer on weekends. I do that too when I can. Not this weekend, however. I'm about to fall forward on my keyboard asleep.

    I've given you an award over at my blog. Don't worry about doing the whole award thing. It's mostly a shout out for your blog.

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  33. I've decided to go the other way. I'll use e-mail, blog, and twitter on the weekends, but talk to nobody verbally.

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  34. I love it! In many ways it's very Japanese in its aesthetic, plus it would really pop on, say, an Amazon page. We all have to think about how a book would look in thumbnail size now!

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  35. Wooow! I love this sooo much! Its really great because it appelas to both boys and girls, also, its so simple that it jumps out at you (unlike all the modern crowded books) I can't wait to read your books when they get published! (which they will, trust me!)

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