Here are some potential cover designs. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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The first one looks best in my opinion. Clean design, and the robots looks as if he got lost in his own circuitry.
The third one seems a bit cluttered I think, the title drowns a bit in the background picture.
The second is pretty good too, but in that layout I would remove the background circuitry, or make the robot sketch a part of it rather than something in front of it (maybe an IC cover or similar).
Anyway, they are your covers. I just prefer the first one
I probably won’t even be able to buy it in Germany after all
I really like the first cover, because it is so crisp, and I’d like it even more if the title wasn’t outlined in black. The third cover is also fun, but possibly there is a better way to integrate the title and your name into the images?
I like the first one without the background. It seems like a lot of your comics are about humanizing robots (if I’m off base here then stop reading now). I’d rather see a background with the robot in a normal, human situation.
If you’re going to go with a circuit background, it’s just simply too blue. You can use a circuit and not have it be so ugly.
The first one might scare people away unnecessarily. With all the writing on the circuitry, the title and author get lost.
Although I would make the front cover a one panel that is as depressingly humbling as many of your normal comics. You may only be selling it online right now, but imagine it’s on the bookstore shelves someday — you want to captivate people to pick it up and read more.
I think the 3rd one is best for an art book, or something along those lines where you’d be showing not just the final strips, but the stuff that went into them as well (BTW, that’s something I would really like to buy, hint hint).
The problem is the blue, it’s too vibrant, too in your face. You should stick to your website colors (branding!). The circuitry is too distracting and the font is best in the 2nd example. I did a quick paintover just changing some colors and values and a bit of re-arranging. Hope you don’t mind! What do you think?
Wow, I really like that, Gord! My only concern with it is that the border width will be a bit unpredictable when the thing is actually printed and cut, but other than that, I think you may have just clinched it!
I’m a big fan of #3. It gives us a chance to see the process of Comic Product Simulation, as well as introduces us to the robo-centric non-sequitur humor that keeps bringing me back to the site.
The first one looks more like an electronics book.
The second one is ok but the white rectangles are a little too big.
Gord’s is nice , black looks cool and makes the cartoon robot stand out.
The third one I like the best , I think it will catch the eye of more people who like comics.
I rather like Gord’s edit the best. But before I saw that, my mind was set on the middle one.
First - Not enough in it.
Second - enough stuff, still simple, not too terribly cluttered
Third - Eh, if you want to go with a theme from one of your strips for the cover, perhaps a different one. Not that that wasn’t a good one, I just don’t know how many people will want to randomly buy a book with a violinist and robots on the cover. It seems ‘off’ to me.
I like Gord’s also; its colors and bars do a better job at drawing the viewer’s attention to the important parts without getting lost in the circuitry.
I’m not a fan of the ones using sketches on the cover (at least in conjunction with the finished product). It looks more like a how-to-draw book that way.
The bottom one shows to much of the strip, and could actually ruin it for new readers… the top one doesn’t seem balanced.
The middle one is the best, but I think if the panel one the right where sketcher it would look better.
March 12th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
The first one looks best in my opinion. Clean design, and the robots looks as if he got lost in his own circuitry.
The third one seems a bit cluttered I think, the title drowns a bit in the background picture.
The second is pretty good too, but in that layout I would remove the background circuitry, or make the robot sketch a part of it rather than something in front of it (maybe an IC cover or similar).
Anyway, they are your covers. I just prefer the first one
I probably won’t even be able to buy it in Germany after all
March 12th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
I really like the first cover, because it is so crisp, and I’d like it even more if the title wasn’t outlined in black. The third cover is also fun, but possibly there is a better way to integrate the title and your name into the images?
March 12th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Definitely the first one.
March 12th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Big fan o’ the first one.
March 12th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
First, with the title font of the second and with your name a bit more prominent.
March 12th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
I like the first one without the background. It seems like a lot of your comics are about humanizing robots (if I’m off base here then stop reading now). I’d rather see a background with the robot in a normal, human situation.
If you’re going to go with a circuit background, it’s just simply too blue. You can use a circuit and not have it be so ugly.
March 12th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
The second one looks more balanced.
The first one might scare people away unnecessarily. With all the writing on the circuitry, the title and author get lost.
Although I would make the front cover a one panel that is as depressingly humbling as many of your normal comics. You may only be selling it online right now, but imagine it’s on the bookstore shelves someday — you want to captivate people to pick it up and read more.
March 12th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Would you mind marking the comics as such in the RSS feed? I really don’t care about your navelgazing blog posts.
- RG>
March 12th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
I think the 3rd one is best for an art book, or something along those lines where you’d be showing not just the final strips, but the stuff that went into them as well (BTW, that’s something I would really like to buy, hint hint).
For just a regular compilation book, #1 rocks..
March 12th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
Grouchy- you can subscribe to the “just comics” feed at http://simulatedcomicproduct.com/category/scp-comics/feed/
I just learned that I even have a just comics feed
March 12th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
The problem is the blue, it’s too vibrant, too in your face. You should stick to your website colors (branding!). The circuitry is too distracting and the font is best in the 2nd example. I did a quick paintover just changing some colors and values and a bit of re-arranging. Hope you don’t mind! What do you think?
http://www.gordonmoran.com/Pics/scpcover_paintover_color.jpg
March 12th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
Wow, I really like that, Gord! My only concern with it is that the border width will be a bit unpredictable when the thing is actually printed and cut, but other than that, I think you may have just clinched it!
March 13th, 2008 at 2:18 am
I love the first one, but the third one has potential to kick it’s ass.
March 13th, 2008 at 2:22 am
The second one caught my eye as I was scrolling through my RSS feeds. It stood out and looked interesting, I would have gone right by the others.
March 13th, 2008 at 4:02 am
I’m a big fan of #3. It gives us a chance to see the process of Comic Product Simulation, as well as introduces us to the robo-centric non-sequitur humor that keeps bringing me back to the site.
March 13th, 2008 at 5:50 am
I like the middle one!
March 13th, 2008 at 6:49 am
A second vote for Gord’s, it’s a huge improvement with only a few changes.
March 13th, 2008 at 7:09 am
I love the second one, followed by the first one. The robot coming to life out of his schematic is a nice touch.
March 13th, 2008 at 8:42 am
Third. The other two look too much like badly-written Computer Science textbooks… except for the cute robot. Tee hee.
March 13th, 2008 at 11:11 am
The first one looks more like an electronics book.
The second one is ok but the white rectangles are a little too big.
Gord’s is nice , black looks cool and makes the cartoon robot stand out.
The third one I like the best , I think it will catch the eye of more people who like comics.
Just my two cents.
March 13th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
I rather like Gord’s edit the best. But before I saw that, my mind was set on the middle one.
First - Not enough in it.
Second - enough stuff, still simple, not too terribly cluttered
Third - Eh, if you want to go with a theme from one of your strips for the cover, perhaps a different one. Not that that wasn’t a good one, I just don’t know how many people will want to randomly buy a book with a violinist and robots on the cover. It seems ‘off’ to me.
I like Gord’s recolouring and rearranging. (:
March 14th, 2008 at 6:52 am
I’d go for the first (or Gord’s splendid edit). The third is dreadful - looks messy and seems a bit pretentious.
You really need to use an unrubbish font, though.
March 14th, 2008 at 7:41 am
I like Gord’s also; its colors and bars do a better job at drawing the viewer’s attention to the important parts without getting lost in the circuitry.
I’m not a fan of the ones using sketches on the cover (at least in conjunction with the finished product). It looks more like a how-to-draw book that way.
March 18th, 2008 at 7:29 am
The first one!
March 18th, 2008 at 11:05 am
I like the middle one.
March 18th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Adding my voices to the masses, first is totally best!
(and yeah, the third looks literally sketchy which is not always a good thing)
March 20th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
The bottom one shows to much of the strip, and could actually ruin it for new readers… the top one doesn’t seem balanced.
The middle one is the best, but I think if the panel one the right where sketcher it would look better.
March 21st, 2008 at 6:03 am
Yup, you should take the second one!