Glow In The Dark Books!

As you can see above, this book actually glows in the dark! The Creature Department was written by Robert Paul Weston and illustrated by Zack Lydon, who also created the cover. It is a story for young children and the monster theme lends itself well to a glow in the dark appearance. I can imagine that young children will be very gripped by a cover that glows in the dark. I know that when my brother and I were young, we loved anything that glowed in the dark. Our walls were covered in glow in the dark stars for many years. However, I would be worried that the child readers would want to spend more time looking at the book with the light off... rather than actually reading it! It is a very novel idea, however, and if it was to be seen in a bookshop, with a sticker explaining that this book glows in the dark, I imagine a lot of people would purchase it just to see if this is true. 

This is another fun idea that I have never seen done before and it just proves what can be done with the physical copy. More and more recently books are being published that revel in the physicality of the book and make the most of it. There is so much more than be done here that cannot be done on an ebook. 

Sylvia Bagaglio, an avid reader, says in her review of the book: “Before I had even opened the book, the cover art drew me in—especially the little bubble which read, “This book GLOWS in the DARK!” I squealed like a pre-teen at a Bieber concert, ran to show the cover to my husband, ran to hold the book up to a light bulb for 15 seconds, and finished by running into my dark bedroom to see the silhouettes of the creatures (and the title of the book) glowing as promised!”

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Further research showed that this is not the first time a book has glowed in the dark! A simple and elegant cover for Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore (designed by Rodrigo Corral at Farrar, Straus and Giroux) also glows in the dark. The author wrote, "When this book sits on shelves and in store windows: It will glow. When it rests at night on your bedroom floor, or reclines on your tray table during a transatlantic flight with the shades all pulled down and the passengers all dozing: It will glow. And when it’s late and you’re reading in bed because maybe—just maybe?—you can’t put it down: It will glow!"

This idea works well with this book because it is about a book shop that is open for 24 hours; it never sleeps. The cover gives the same impression of always being awake with the glow in the dark aspect. This is also a book intended for adults, yet the glow in the dark trick still works!

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Crush, seen in my previous two blog posts, has also worked with illustrator Marta Cerda to produce a cover complete with glow in the dark ink. This one, Zac and the Dream Pirates by Ross MacKenzie, is also aimed at children. What's so great about this cover is that when you turn the lights off - even more detail appears on the book cover, as though you are discovering more clues leading to pirate treasure! The design is also flawless: delicate, intricate detail, which makes up a bigger, bolder image.

References:
http://bookshelfbombshells.com/review-the-creature-department-by-robert-paul-weston/

http://thecreaturedepartment.com/author.html

http://www.robinsloan.com/note/what-happens-in-the-dark/
http://www.bookpage.com/the-book-case/2012/08/23/a-book-cover-that-glows-in-the-dark/
http://www.debutart.com/illustration/marta-cerd/zac-the-dream-pirates#/illustration-portfolio

Redesigns by Crush Design - Stickers!

Crush also redesigned The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams for Pan Macmillan. On Crush's website they explain, “As part of the redesign we developed a limited edition DIY cover complete with a sticker sheet, so fans can decorate their own book.”

I have noticed that a lot of redesigns, for old books especially, have been adding extra elements to make their covers more unique. See my old blog post about including 3D glasses with books, for example. Designers need to find a way to make these old books appeal more to the modern audience and they do this completely through the design of the book. The Hitchhiker's redesign was created to celebrate 30 years of this series and so this adds an extra push for the designers to make this a creative book that stands out.

And, again, the designers do this by introducing physical aspects that can be played with. The idea of including stickers could be seen to appeal only to children... and yet, I bet this book would also appeal to adults, for it is not overly child-like in appearance and the front cover, without the stickers, still holds a more sophisticated appearance.

I love the idea that they have created: make your own book cover! It's an idea that I don't think I have seen done and this is probably why it works so well; it's so completely different. The stickers, which can be found inside the book, relate to stories and objects (and miserable androids!) which are written in the book. This could also interest someone who hasn't read the books before. They are able to see objects that relate to the written words of the book and are therefore encouraged to read the book to find out how they relate. And the stickers are also nudge to the old fans of the series.

"We knew the key for this would be to make the books attractive to the Hitchhiker's newcomer, but also have some hidden or cryptic element for the die-hard fans," Chris Pelling of Crush said. "The books themselves are farcical (and possibly a bit psychedelic), so the simple comic style set against the real life photo of space seemed to fit the slightly surreal style of writing."

He went on to say, "Even though book covers do use lots of nice printing techniques like foil blocks, embossing, varnishes etc, that's usually where it stops. So for us to get a sticker sheet approved felt like a real coup."

I love how more designers are thinking outside the box when it comes to how to make the most of the physical aspect of the book - and stickers is such a fun way to do that. It's something that could never be replicated through an ebook.

 

Furthering the digital campaign, Crush also created a website and advertisement for the new book covers. Not only that, but they also got involved with creative media by creating Marvin the Paranoid Android's depressive Twitter campaign: Marvins Moan. 

References:
http://crushed.co.uk/bookcovers/pan-macmillan-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxy/
http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2009/august1/dont-panic
http://www.thedrum.com/news/2009/03/18/hitchhikers-guide-be-reissued-create-your-own-cover-crush-design
https://twitter.com/marvinsmoan

Redesigns by Crush Design - Gloss vs. Matte

When I found this company, Crush, I was surprised to see that I had already seen and admired their book covers in bookstores - and for a few years too. Their redesign of Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy has caught my eyes numerous times in the past and has made me seriously consider buying these books... even if I already have different copies of the stories at home!

I love the symmetry of these three book cover redesigns, as well as the strong use of negative colour. A subtle foil has also been added to make the books appear more textured and to catch the eye when they are sitting on a shelf. I think this works so well in the case of these three books, because it lends a darker colour to the images, giving them more depth, and, without this added element, the images could have appeared too flat.

However, further research in this area revelled to me that a lot of people are growing tired of the glossy, shiny book covers, especially when it is done wrong.


Naomi Rappaport says on her blog that many books that contain a glossy, shiny cover give the cheap appearance of being self-published. Rappaport writes, “A shiny, gloss laminated book cover can sometimes be the biggest tell that the book was self-published (author and publishing consultant Carla King says glossy book covers resemble “cheap, shiny suits”).
 However, this to me to read as though the design is simply too much; not a subtle use of foil as seen in Crush Creative's redesigns for Phillip Pullman.


Krissi Dallas, a YA author, was also very upfront about her opinion of matte vs. gloss in her blog. She happened to prefer the matte version of her book cover to the glossy one, though wasn't sure which her market audience would prefer. Therefore, she took both copies to a book signing and asked 20 adults and 104 teenagers of their opinions. Her end results were 25 votes for the glossy book cover and 99 votes for the matte. She gathered some comments from those who voted and the following can be seen on her blog post:

The negative comments about GLOSSY…

-It shows fingerprints and fingerprints drive me NUTS!
-It looks cheesy.
-I don’t like the glare when I’m trying to read the title or the back of the book.
-If it gets bent, the glossy sometimes peels off.
-It sticks to my leg when I read.

The positive comments about GLOSSY…
-The colors are more vivid
-Shiny things draw my attention on a shelf.

The negative comments about MATTE…
-The colors aren’t as bright.

The positive comments about MATTE…
-It feels better in my hands.
-It’s fun to scratch my fingers across.
-The muted colors make the book seem more mysterious, and it IS called PHANTOM Island.
-The matte looks more professional.
-It seems more durable.
-It won’t show my pencil marks and fingerprints.
-It looks more like other YA books we read.
-One girl wisely reminded me… “Most of our books are matte, Mrs. D, and since you’re kind of like a debut author again, you might want to stick with what’s popular.” SO SMART!!

It sounds like this author has the misfortune of having a glossy book that hasn't been the most expertly designed. For example, one of the negative comments about gloss is “If it gets bent, the glossy sometimes peels off” and yet I have never had a similar experience of this. This blog post was published in 2011 and I certainly think that technology and materials have advanced since then, so this is something I have kept in mind.

And, in my experience, I think it is all about the design as a whole. Some books look good with foil or gloss on their front covers, and others don't. I think that designers are more likely to go for a shiny cover now “just because”; just because it is the thing to do now and it is a successful, non-complicated way of making your book more textured. However, sometimes a little bit of shine can be exactly what the book cover needs, which I think is the case with the redesign of His Dark Materials series seen above. Without the foil, I fear that the cover would appear too flat. The shine, in this case, is used to add added depth and texture... not just to make it sparkly!

References:
http://wrightspeak.com/2013/04/when-it-comes-to-book-printing-should-you-skip-the-gloss/
http://crushed.co.uk/
http://crushed.co.uk/bookcovers/scholastic-his-dark-materials/
http://krissidallas.com/the-great-matte-vs-glossy-cover-debate/

London Book Fair: Advancement of Ebooks (BBC)

 

In a recent blog post, I read that only 3% of children's books are read on a screen, for a physical book has much more to offer, in terms of interactivity, to a child. But in the interview above, James Huggins says that he was at the London Book Fair to advertise Me Books, an interactive book app for children. He goes on to explain that this app includes books which are narrated by actors, such as Richard E Grant, while you can also record the voice-over yourself. 

This gained my interest, for it seems that publishers are trying to encourage children to read more ebooks than physical books by introducing something that a physical book cannot offer, such as a voice over. However, I still have to wonder if Me Books will be so popular. Almost all of the time, young children get a adult to read them the story and so I think that a voice over would detract from this bonding time. Perhaps this app is aimed at slightly older audience, who can read themselves but just need the additional help.

Huggins finishes his interview by saying, "When it comes to adult books, where it is simply words on a page, I think that ebooks taking over from physical books is inevitable." 

Ed Franklin, meanwhile, introduced the Booki, an interactive e-reader aimed at children between the ages of 2 - 6 years old. He explains that the e-reader is all about books and does not feature any type of gaming element, which I thought was interesting that he had to clarify. I suppose that it would be of some concern to parents that when a child turns to a screen instead of a book they may not be gaining the same amount of education from the experience.

Franklin says, "I think that digital publishing in the children's illustrated catogory will probably get to about 90% of all sales. The book itself, particularly the children's book, with its beautiful illustrations, will become more of a cherished object... In ten years time (books) will be hard-backed, beautifully printed... while I think that everything else will migrate to the digital platform."

Sarah Wright was there to explain about their new company, Higgles. They have developed technology that "breathes life into the printed word". By accessing a mobile phone app, you are able to see something else to the book that is invisible to the naked eye. 

It explains on the Higgles website, "It looks like an ordinary book, but just hover your device over the page and Cinderella pops up out of the storybook as a 3D hologram then runs away from the castle, dropping her slipper as she goes. One tap of your finger, and her riches turn to rags, right in front of your eyes."

Wright goes on to say that this technology is not the end of the printed word. She explains, "We've used digital technology in a way that enhances the book." This gives the audience a reason to buy the physical book, while using digital technology - your mobile phone - to discover more from the printed pages.

References: 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22206886

http://www.higgles.org

Front And Back

 As the back cover of the book does not appear on ebook screens, you would not be able to encompass the books front and back in this format. Yet this is a successful technique that is often adopted by designers, as seen on Chris Wharton's redesigns for Ernest Hemingway. On his website, he says of his designs, “Ernest Hemingway is a big hero of mine and I was delighted to be commissioned by Random House Mondadori to illustrate a cover for a limited edition run of ‘The old man and the sea’.”

He then put together more mock covers as a person project. Each design makes use of the book's format by running along the front and continuing onto the back. I have always liked the appearance that this technique lends to a book, for it gives the impression of “togetherness”. More can be explored on the back and this usually takes the viewer by surprise, which, in return, holds their attention for longer. 

 

This technique has also been adopted by Chip Kidd and it gives a fluency to his designs, whether the image continues on the back or the back cover takes inspiration from the front.

References:

http://anastasiagerali.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/chris-whartons-book-covers.html

http://chriswharton.com/Pages/Hemingway.html

3% Of Children's Books Are Read On A Screen

A report from the BBC in May 2013 labelled book sales as rising. In 2012, sales were up 66%, with fiction e-reading growing even faster, up 149%. Sales for the physical book did fall, but only by 1% and in some genres, such as children's and non-fiction books (especially cook books), sales for the physical copy actually rose.

It was said that only 3% of children's books are read on a screen. Why? Well, surely an ebook must pale in comparison to the physical copy of a children's book. For example, children's books are typically of a larger size than the average book, so that children can see more clearly and find images amongst the pages. Colour is also very important and, up until recently, many ebooks were formatted in black-and-white. Matt Peckham says, "As I’ve come to understand with my nine-month-old — [physical books] can just as often be “read” with one’s mouth as one’s fingers (a definite no-no when it comes to our tablets and smartphones)”.

It is true that children's book make the most of physicality – including “pop-ups”, wheels to turn, flaps to open etc. - in their pages and cover and this is something that the ebook can simply not replicate. If more books made the use of their physicality, perhaps we would see a further rise in physical copies in the next few years. 

References: 

http://techland.time.com/2013/05/01/physical-books-are-dead-long-live-physical-books/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22366415 

'Ology' Series by Templar

Illustrator Jim Kay said in my interview: “Look at what Templar is doing with its 'Ology' series, which are books very much celebrating the nineteenth century compendiums, using hardback boards, with foils, spot varnishes, jewel encrusted covers and a high illustrations to text ratio.” I therefore decided to take his advice and research further into this series of books. 

The “Ology' series are illustrated fantasy books, presented in a fictional encyclopedic format, authored by Dugald Steer and published by Templar Publishing. The books have been met with high popularity; the first book in the series, Dragonology, remained on the New York Times' children's bestsellers list for 76 weeks! 

The books thrive on their physicality; papers and other items can be taken out of them and examined, you can turn the book sideways to reveal a different image on its front cover, while most are also decorated with spot varnishes and jewel encrusted covers.

David Wyatt, alongside art director, Nghiem Ta, designed the cover for Illusionology. Wyatt explains of his design, “The central image is a freaky thing called a lenticular, which makes everything three dimensional. Not only that, the white rabbit changes into a brass mechanical version of itself when the book is tilted.” Seen below:

Wyatt uses the book's physicality to add something different, something that will captivate the viewer. I can imagine someone standing in a bookshop, turning the book this way and that in wonderment. What makes this so successful, however, is how it matches the content of the book: illusions. 

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With Spyology you can even take part of the front cover apart, seen in the video below:

It explains of Templar's website that the cover contains three red jewels, embossing and green and silver foil, all which add to the decoration and texture of the cover. The red magnifying decoded wheel, which is mounted in the cover, can be taken apart from the cover and used to reveal things inside the book.

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With Oceanology, a die-cut window was created on the front cover, which leads to a 3.D lenticular on the title page. The cover also features two clear jewels, embossing and gold foil. This is a book made to be touched and explored further. A sense of mystery is also added by revealing a squid lying in wait behind the gold-foiled window.

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Egyptology's front cover contains beautiful textures, which really lend itself to Egypt by looking ancient and majestic. It features three jewels, gold letterings, while it is also foiled and embossed. This is certainly a book that is one of a kind; it is so apparent how much effort has gone into its production.

 

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On the Templar website, it is said of the Dragonology book, “Lavishly bound in a suede-like material with decorative metal corners and a sturdy clasp to hold the secrets within.” Books such as Alienology and Pirateology hold similar techniques on their covers. By adding sections of shine to the book, immediately it becomes more unusual and attractive, encouraging the viewer to take a closer look.

Ending Thoughts:
- Using the physicality of the books were most successfully when the tecniques and textures reflects the book's content.
- Physicality in book covers attracts a young audience.
- A book can explored in so many different ways. Each solution for this series was inventive and creative.
- You can definitely make the most of a book's physicality, though perhaps going overboard in such a way would only truly appeal to a younger audience.


References:

http://www.templarco.co.uk/ologies/dragonology.html 

http://davidwyattillustration.wordpress.com/2011/11/08/illusionology/

http://sweetsistergina.typepad.com/joyful_purpose/2010/09/oceanology.html

http://www.thelibrarystore.com/product/04-50163/childrens_book_and_puppet_sets