Also here is an updated version of the poster..I like how the cross-hatching looks but I mess around with the framing of it a little more (time willing :P)
-The management
P.S. might mess with the text..I kinda feel like my name is too far off to the right..hmm..
First thing first, please don't take any of this personally. I always get nervous giving honest critique because I don't really know how someone will take it.
ReplyDeleteSo.
Type.
I would suggest looking for a new font mostly because it's not matching the feeling of what I think you're trying to do. I'm no graphic designer, but the best advice I can give you is that you should consider type AS an image. Each font has it's own flavor, voice, feeling, and it needs to match whatever image or message it's trying to convey. The ones you have now, for both your title and name just aren't matching quite well. It looks a little too academic.
So. Before you go on dafonts.com to look for new fonts, think about what kind of emotion or message you want to get across with your image. Is it classy? Fun? Childish? Horror? Unisex? Comedy? Dark humor? Gloom? Doom? Gloom&Doom? Romantic? Write out a few words and then look at fonts while asking "Is this a romantic font or is it totally 80's?"
Decide if you want a serif or san-serif. And avoid looking at the grunge-fonts too much. They can look cool, but go with a VERY specific look and are kind of the butt of graphic design jokes along with comic sans and joker.
For a small note too because you did do it, normally, yes, the title and the by-line are two different fonts - just make sure you dedicate one to be more important than the other. Will the title be the seller or your name?
Google "great book cover designs" and click on some links and images to see what I mean.
I would avoid cross-hatching the sky. And maybe the ground as well, or at least change it around. Like....a shadow for your character? You have shading on his body, but if there's such a drastic light to do that, shouldn't there be some highlights and/or a cast shadow?
Don't use lines and other elements without a real reason or with things that look too random (unless you make a style out of it, but that's something to worry about later). If you like your work to be decorative, carry it throughout, but I'm reading the hatching more as "Everything looks too empty, so I need to fill it with something..."
If there's too much room, adjust your composition, canvas size, or just start over.
Doing something interesting with type to integrate it more with the image would easily fill in the space.
If there's anything else you'd like me to comment on that I didn't address, don't be afraid to ask. B:>
Hopefully you don't hate me now.