Monday, June 23, 2014

TTT: Cover Trends I Like and Dislike

Cover Trends I Like and Dislike
Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week they have a different Top Ten list topic that a bunch of bloggers take and make their own list of those things.
Things I Like:
1. Illustrated Covers
FangirlEleanor & ParkThe Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland, #1)The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #5)

2. Really cool spines
I can't show pictures of these because I don't know where to find them, but I've been seeing more and more of them recently. I really like the striped ones like the Huntley Fitzpatrick books or Landline by Rainbow Rowell.

3. Prominently typographical covers
The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1)The Age of MiraclesThese Broken Stars (Starbound, #1)

4. Really dynamic colors that complement other books in the series
Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, #1)Siege and Storm (The Grisha, #2)Ruin and Rising (The Grisha, #3)

5. Images on the inside of the dust jacket.
Again, I don't have images for this, but have you seen the Since You've Been Gone dust jacket? It has a wicked cool picture on the inside. It's SO cool! And the inside of Clockwork Princess' and City of Heavenly Fire are great, too.

Things I Dislike:
*Quick Disclaimer: All of these things can be done well occasionally. It's just that most of the time they are not.*

1. I know everyone says this, but what is with the face covers? They're usually horrific, which is why I hate them.

2. Girls in dresses. It can be done well and in a way that I love (See, The Winner's Curse and These Broken Stars), but there are so many that look so alike and the covers clearly have nothing to do with the books.

3. Cover changes (particularly bad cover changes, like Crewel. I love good changes like Stephanie Perkins' books or Shatter Me)

4. People making out. JUST STOP. Those are so awkward to read in public, okay?

8 comments:

  1. I TOTALLY AGREE ABOUT CREWEL! The new covers are HORRIBLE!!!!
    Also, I love really cool spines! Sometimes I want to own a book because of the spine!
    Good list!
    Jennifer @ A Librarian's Library--My TTT!

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  2. I also hate the making out covers, particularly the almost-kiss. It's not original, and it personally makes me uncomfortable to see so up-close and personal. The big poufy dresses also bug.

    Illustrated covers are the best. I hope we see more of a trend back towards illustrations and away from glossy cover models.

    My TTT

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  3. I really love pretty spines as well. I'm with you on the pretty dresses. They're appealing, but they're becoming so overdone now.

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  4. I'm so glad the Shatter Me covers changed! UGH to that original one. It was just so so wrong. I love covers where the font is a huge deal. Like in The Winner's Curse or Love Letters To The Dead, where the model is actually holding onto the title? Love.
    My TTT!

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  5. I love illustrated covers and awesome spine art too! I really like the spine art for Huntley Fitzpartick's books, The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider, Taken by Erin Bowman, and Life by Committee by Corey Ann Haydu!

    Great post! Here's my TTT

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  6. Oo this is a good list! I too love pretty spines and images under the dust jacket! I recently undressed The Eternity Cure and found a picture of Allie on the book! It was a pleasant surprise :) And illustrations and typography are almost always a plus for me!

    Nicole @ The Quiet Concert

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  7. I hate BAD cover changes!!! I agree the Shatter Me cover changes were for the better... and even though I didn't mind the Steph Perkins books the way they were, I know a lot of people thought they looked juvenile and it put them off from reading them. So yes those were great cover changes. I just don't get why they change books that come out with an awesomely cool, pretty, or unique design to begin with? If it's not BROKE don't fix it!!

    Cool spines and inside secret jacket covers are AWESOME!! I love that Morgan Matson surprise picture! And I Hunt Killers has a cool inside to it too (but I think that's one the actual book not inside the jacket).

    Great List!! Here's My TTT

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  8. My favorite covers styles include illustrated covers and covers with really fetching and matching colours...and I love me some cool typography and prominent fonts. Cool book spines are another plus and I get SUPER excited when books have images or maps or whatever on the inside :D

    And YES I hate close ups of random faces on covers. Just some person's idea of what the MC might look like that usually doesn't even match with the author's vision. Ugh. And I'm glad I'm not the only one sick of all the pretty dress covers & people making out on covers >.< Oh and cover changes mid-series: MAJOR pet peeve. Great list Abby ^^

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