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Cover art for Squirrel of Magic

OlgaGodim

Scribe
I'm going to publish an urban fantasy collection of short stories united by the same protagonists: a young witch Darya and her familiar, squirrel Beatrice. Together, they kick butt of the bad guys and help friends in need. The stories are lighthearted, with a pinch of humor.
I have 3 covers to choose from. Covers 1 and 2 only have slight differences in decorations. Cover 3 is absolutely different from the first two. I'd appreciate your opinions. Which one do you like best?

#1
bridget_cover1-e1394230464208.jpg
#2
bridget_cover2-e1394230538653.jpg

#3
bookcover4-e1394230329148.jpg


Thank you.
 

Noma Galway

Archmage
I like the second cover because the designs around the title and your name are a lot simpler than in the first, and I like the feel and colors of the first two.
 

teacup

Auror
#2, definitely.I prefer the decorations of #2 than #1.#3 gives a better feel for the story, with her being a witch, but I would definitely choose #2 over it, because the squirrel doesn't seem to fit into #3. There's a white border on the squirrel which makes it seem to be just stuck on top, rather than implemented into the cover design. #3 seems much more "cartoony" which could reflect a younger target audience (maybe that's what you're going for, I don't know - I'm just saying what I think.)#1 and #2 are much more subtle with the magic, which I like. The patterns around the squirrel are very nice (I want to say wisps of magic?) They also give more of an urban fantasy feel to them, I'd say.I also much prefer the text on #1 and #2.Hope I've been of help.
 
Hi,

I like all three, and actually number 3 has a "bewitched" vibe going for it. But my question for you would be who's your target audience? I'm just concerned that these covers all scream children's books. So if they're your target audience great if not then I don't know how well they'll sell.

Cheers, Greg.
 

Devor

Fiery Keeper of the Hat
Moderator
I would keep tinkering with those decorations and the font. If for some reason you can't, you should pick #2 like everyone is saying.

With the first one, the decorations, while "nicer," pull the eyes away from the title and your name. In number 2 they're a little more muted, which helps the font to stand out a little more. But the top still looks busier than it should, and the "~"s beside the name give me an amateurish feel.

I think you would be better off trying to pull the top decorations a little more from the font, and maybe muting their color just slightly, to help the title stand out more. On the bottom, cut the ~s all together, and just have the name by itself. You could also play with the font to make it wider, even if just by increasing the Kenning (the space between letters).
 

Caged Maiden

Staff
Article Team
I vote for number two. The first is too busy and the third isn't nearly as modern feeling. I think it feels liek a whole different book to me and I would probably pass it up on a shelf, but I'd be more attracted to two.
 

Fyle

Inkling
I vote for number two. The first is too busy and the third isn't nearly as modern feeling. I think it feels liek a whole different book to me and I would probably pass it up on a shelf, but I'd be more attracted to two.

I agree here. Not my interest as far as subject matter, but the cover art on the top one are well done and I like the color scheme.

Nice tones of blue.
 
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