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Wednesday, September 19, 2007

The Paranoia Switch

Design and photograph by Jennifer Carrow

There are some nice details on this jacket: rotating the image ninety degrees transforms what's easily recognizable (if a tad predictable, given the title of the book) into something slightly less so, and the rotation itself is a "switch" that underscores the ideas contained in the book. That's a nice touch.


I'm having a bit of trouble with the type, however. I'm not sure what the typeface is, but is it a semi-serif? One with the "I" as the only serif? And maybe it's just me, but when I see a particular treatment of some words but not of others on a book like this -- see the subtitle -- the analytic part of my brain kicks in and asks, "Isn't 'REWIRES' an important word too?"

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

For whatever it's worth, I'm almost positive that that font is Bell Gothic Black.

Pablo Defendini said...

I'll second grey's call. I think it's Bell, as well.

Joseph said...

Thanks. I think you're right.

jasfitz // the daily frolic said...

I would venture to suggest it isn't just as important, but perhaps even more important.

I want to like this cover. I like the ideas of some of the components: emphatic treatments and the even breaking up of the sections of information. Yet, I feel that it really falls flat, and I can't quite put my finger on it.

I think it might be that the photo reads too much as stock photography. Or maybe that the whole thing doesn't really feel very terrorized or paranoid. Or courageous. I mean, we're dealing with some very dramatic nouns and verbs, and I don't see that playing out at all.

Anonymous said...

I like the image, but I think that the type treatment falls flat. Bell Gothic is a lovely face for this, but perhaps mixing it with another face - a true serif? a lighter weight of Bell for the subtitle? - would have livened up the type and confirmed the hierarchies. Currently the title and subtitle have the same weight, so on first glance I get the impression that its straight text, rather than a title and subtitle. And because the image is so regulated, mixing font weights or styles would add sparkle and depth to the cover.

Josh Russell said...

Take the switchplate off and this would look much better: exposed wires, screwholes, the raw edge of the box, etc.

ERIC STEPHEN WHITE said...

My eye keeps going to the screws.

Anonymous said...

screw this cover.

jasfitz // the daily frolic said...

Methinks you're quite onto something, Mr. Russell.