Final Crit

Rationale:
For my book cover I have illustrated an image of a black man wearing dungarees to represent the man accused of rape in the book. In the film adaptation of to Kill a Mockingbird dungarees are worn by both Scout, the young girl, as well as Tom, the accused rapist, and this parallel bridges the gap between childhood innocence and racial inequality - the biggest issues highlighted in the book.

1. Does the typeface I have used (Baskerville) fit with the rest of the design on the cover?

• I feel it would work better if the font was more consistent, so to have it all mocked up like it was stitched.
• The typeface works well on the front cover - contrasts the title and gives the impression of a classic novel. On the back it is less strong. The stroke width is thinner than the body text and if it is higher up in importance it should be clearer. When Baskerville is smaller it is harder to read on the back cover. Maybe you could use the stitched type on the spine?
• Maybe instead of Baskerville you could use a sans serif typeface as your cover seems like a modern design. Baskerville works to make the cover look more old fashioned/classic.
• Looks a little dated compared to the style of illustration.
• Yes Baskerville works well instantly sets the scene
• I don't think it does, as the design is quite contemporary, I feel like a sans serif or handwritten type would work better.
• I would change the typeface from baskerville as it's a bit too old looking and doesn't fit with your modern design.

2. The colours I have chosen remind me of the Simpsons or minions unfortunately. In your opinion do you think they work well together?

• The colours do, it may have worked better if the dungarees were slightly larger and took up more space. Testing out stitching into actual dungarees would have looked cool. Works well as a cartoon though, the colours give it an appropriate vibe.
• The colours work well and would stand out from other entries that all use black and white. In the film are the dungarees shown to get a colour from? the film is black and white so I couldn't reference the colours.
• The colours do stand out although they are very specific. In your rationale you mention another character, Scout, perhaps you could have made them in her style as well? However I guess the stitching and her tomboy nature helps to apply this cover to her. perhaps you could change something subtle - like the clip/fastening.
• Colours work really well and harmonise nicely.

3. Is it obvious what the illustration is of and is it detailed enough?

• Could possibly have more detail with the shirt so it is more obvious it is being worn.
• Yes the illustration is really good, it is a good idea that I haven't seen before.
• The illustration works well - I like the grid and the way it is constructed from block shapes.

4. Anything I can do to improve?

• Actually physically making/stitching would make it more authentic.
• experiment with different colour? blue too specific?
• The design would appeal to younger readers and may make the book more interesting when they are forced to read it at school. 
• The yellow colour could be brighter to catch the attention of readers.
• If it was made of real fabric, could add nice texture.
• Maybe use a picture of a real shirt to add texture and a sense of realisation, as at the moment it is quite digitalised and needs something real to create a bigger impact. 
• Change the typeface and alter colours maybe, - doesn't really stand out right now.
• alter colour of logo on book, gets lost in the brown

What I took away from this crit:

Positives: My style of illustration seemed to resonate with my peers well. The use of block shapes was unique and people said they hadn't expected the illustration for this book - many covers I researched used a simpler pared back style, aiming the book at a older audience perhaps. I think is a positive thing as it makes my design stand out from the crowd. Similarly to this the idea behind my illustration was original. By avoiding any obvious imagery from the books (e.g. a tree, bird, objects left for the children in the tree) and using instead a subtle parallel I observed from the film version in the form of dungarees, I think the idea behind my illustration works well and separates my covers from any others.

Improvements I can make: the main thing I took away from this crit was the issue of my chosen typeface not fitting with the rest of the cover. While some feedback was positive and thought that the typeface gave the book a classic look, most felt that the illustration style was quite modern and so needed a better suiting typeface, likely a sans serif one. From this I think I will alter the typeface and search for one more suited to the illustration style.
Some people also highlighted the lines that represented sleeves/arms on my design and felt that they weren't needed on the cover. I will experiment with removing them to see if the cover works better without them. Also a minor alteration will be changing the colour of the arrow logo, from black to a lighter colour in order for it to be visible on the spine.

If I were to redo the project: My idea would work better if I was to physically create my cover image from a flannel shirt and real denim, with hand stitching on the front. I could've then photographed this to create the cover and make it more realistic. In this way I think the cover would appeal to a wider audience.