Let's Talk is a weekly feature here at i swim for oceans. I think it's important that we all have our say, and there's something to be said for raising our voices. Simply put, here on the little old blog, I like to host some of my very own discussion posts because, well, I like to converse with you all.
And so, Let's Talk will feature questions or prompts, which I will answer, too. Love it or hate it, weigh in or don't, it's my hope that Let's Talk will at least get you thinking...and maybe even get you discussing with the rest of us!
What cover trend would you like to see continued in the coming year? Is there anything you hope is discontinued in 2014?
Distorted Faces
Backs on the Cover
Movement on the Covers
It's no secret on this blog that I'm a cover slut. It's also no secret that I took a nearly 8 month hiatus from book blogging simply to regain my sanity and, to be honest, rediscover my love of this blog, the blogosphere and what we do. In that time, I read a lot of the books that have spent months unread on my shelves, and I missed a lot of the new cover trends for 2013. That said, I began to rediscover them in full force once I started up again, and here are a couple of the biggest trends that I noticed.
Words as the Focal Cover Art
Backs on the Cover
Movement on the Covers
Some of these actually fall into multiple categories, now that I look closer at them. Here's the thing. For the most part, I don't mind these trends. I really, really love that fonts and the titles of novels are becoming more prominent. That, specifically, is something I'd love to see more of. I'd still really like to see less of girls in pretty dress, and I think that the dystopian/broken city in the background is becoming tired. There are better ways to show a post-apocalyptic world. One trend I'd really like to see more of us underwater covers. They were big in 2012, and I loooooved them
Oh my gosh, I never realised that before! Yeah, there are so many cover trends lately, the distorted faces is one I've recently noticed a lot.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Melissa! <33
Distorted faces is kind of cool, if you think about it!
DeleteAmen to an end of the "girls in pretty dresses."
ReplyDeleteUnless the book is about pretty dresses, that cover tells me nothing that I want to know. :(
It's so rare when it actually DOES say something. It's a shame!
DeleteYou know I'm obsessed with type, so all-type covers and covers with very prominent type are favorites of mine. I so hope that's a trend that continues for some time! I like the movement covers as well, but I'm with you on the girls in pretty dresses. They're of course gorgeous, but so many times they have absolutely nothing to do with the book itself (These Broken Stars is of course a huge exception to that).
ReplyDeleteYou and me both! I think typography is art in and of itself :)
DeleteI've been thinking so much about this over the past year -- and am personally ready to see less people/faces (and especially dresses) and more settings as covers. The two that stand out for me immediately are Fuse (holy COW that looks cool) and Dualed. The Infinite Moment of Us does, too. I think I like silhouettes where you can get a quick sense of things but still visualize characters yourself... whereas, if a big face is on the cover, it throws me off a bit. :)
ReplyDeleteYes...less people is something I'd love. I really want more artistic things!
DeleteAs a font lover, I'm so happy that fonts have begun to take center stage on covers. I love analyzing the font and seeing how it fits with the story. There's actually a typography course available at my school and I was wondering if I should go for it, since I love fonts and all.
ReplyDeleteI think movement on covers is also really cool. My art teacher talked a LOT about movement and how beneficial it is for a composition and I agree with her. Just look at those covers! My jaw dropped when I saw Revel and Linked - so gorgeous! :)
I will fully admit I judge a book by its cover! I can't help it...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I found you from feature & follow.
New follower via GFC! My FF @ A Novel Idea by Chrissy T
Found your blog via FF and now I am following via bloglovin. I really like your blog!
ReplyDeleteI love pretty typography so the words as cover art trend is really taking my fancy. I also like the movement in books, it looks really cool! Great post as always Melissa.
ReplyDeleteJeann @ Happy Indulgence
I love the cover for The Infinite Moment of Us. Haven't read the book yet, but the cover catches my eye first, every time. Maybe it's the cursive writing. I'm totally done with girls in dresses too. Never understood this one in the first place.
ReplyDeleteMelissa-
ReplyDeleteGood topic. I love the dress covers, but they are so deceiving. What I want most in a cover is for it to have something to do with the story inside. Sometimes I pick up a book and read it and spend quite a bit of time trying to figure out what the cover meant. It's really deceptive for us cover sluts.
And I'm with you, I love the underwater covers. Love mermaid stories!
As someone who LOVES typography, I love seeing all the font work on covers. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is another great example. All of these are good, minus the distorted faces. I don't like faces on my book covers at all, unless it's a mass market romance, heh.
ReplyDeleteSee girls in pretty dresses is still my fave-as long as the dress is pretty and it's somewhat relevant. Like the fancy dress for the Luxe series by Anna Godbersen made sense but it would have been weird on Marie Lu's Legend series.
ReplyDeleteSorry I am linking up so late. I love these covers you have. And I am a artsy cover with a great font too! Great topic since we all judge books by their covers. LOL!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see more Words as the Focal Cover Art - especially ones like Shadow and Bone + Siege and Storm, because they look fantastic! I'm over Girls-In-Pretty-Dresses covers and whatnot.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!