Yes, I have processed all your feedback and reached a decision. But before I show you my final version; I want to say a big thank you to everyone who chimed in on which cover you prefer. I got over 100 comments on my various channels, that’s a lot of feedback to process! And boy did your feedback set my mind in motion! My head was spinning all Sunday evening, in fact, it took a while to fall asleep since I was processing all the input and trying to make a decision.
So let’s take a look at your feedback:
Your preference
- Cover 2 got the most votes
- Then came cover 1, with 3 not far behind.
Your feedback (a summary)
Cover 1. Clean, modern and joyful. Will look good as a small thumbnail (which is important as I will sell the book on Amazon). But a little too much magazine/lifestyle.
Cover 2. Great diversity and gives a good idea of what the content will be. A classic DIY book design, you know what you will get, it’s clear it is a sewing book and not a lifestyle book. However, it will look busy in small-scale, possibly more suited for the back cover.
Cover 3. Clean and fresh. Catches the eye. Best photo. Will look good as a small thumbnail. But the cover lacks diversity and is a bit too much like a fitness/lifestyle cover.
So what did I end up with?
Well on Monday afternoon I had reached some clarity. So after work, I sat down with a Deep Focus playlist on Spotify and cranked out this…
Yes, it is an updated version of cover nr 1 and with the back cover being inspired by cover number 2. Sorry in advance if there are some typos, I have not proofread the cover yet!
I also tweaked the typography, colours and the look on cover nr 1 after some great suggestions from you guys.
And the back cover (I might need to make the blue on the back a tad bit lighter for the black text to show.)
My reasoning for the choice is this:
As several of you pointed out, the small thumbnail view for cover nr 2 can be problematic. This was something I didn’t even consider when I first designed the covers, but the thumbnails on Amazon are often super tiny, especially on a cell phone. Which could explain why most craft/sewing books these days just have one big image.
However, you guys also made a very important point about diversity and said that this was nr 2 biggest strength and something you found appealing as a potential buyer. Luckily I got some great feedback about making nr 2 the back cover, and I went with that! Also, the book will get a website (so much to do, so little time!). And that gives me a place to use the diverse photo layout that you liked with nr 2. As for 1 vs 3, I picked cover nr. 1 since several of you mentioned that you liked the joy in the photo and that we didn’t look too “model-y”. And for me, joy and reliability are super important, so that signed the deal!
Again thank you so much for all the input. It can be a little daunting opening oneself up like this and ask for feedback, but I’m very glad I did ask you for help as it really boosted my thought process, and I think (and hope) that the final version is an improvement!
Now I need to start working on a website for the book that will also lists resources such as fabrics vendors and patterns. Upwards and onwards!
