UK Cover Design for ECHO

Earlier this week, Diana Gabaldon posted on her blog a picture of the proposed cover art for the UK version of AN ECHO IN THE BONE.

There's a lot of discussion there about the colors, the fonts used in the title, and the symbolism of the "skeleton leaf" on the cover. You may want to check it out.

U.S. readers please note: As far as we know, the American version of the cover is still going to be a burgundy (some call it mulberry -- at any rate, it's a dark red <g>) color, with a caltrop on the front. Though Diana did mention on her blog yesterday that she would be amenable to a skeleton leaf instead, like the one on the UK cover, if the caltrop doesn't turn out to be feasible from an artistic point of view.

I like the blue/black color scheme, and the leaf makes sense now that Diana explained what it means (if you're still puzzled about that, look down through the comments on Diana's blog for the one that says "For Those Who Don't 'Get' The Leaf" <g>).

I don't care much for the typeface used for the title. Though if they took the "tails" off the A, h, and B, I would be perfectly happy with it. Well, it doesn't matter so much what I think, as I probably won't ever see the UK version of the book. But I'd be interested in what the rest of you think, particularly those of you who will be buying it in the UK.

And if any of you have comments about this cover design that you'd like me to pass on to Diana on your behalf, just let me know.

UPDATE 2/6/09 6:30 pm: Diana announced today that the U.S. version of the cover is going to be a jewel-tone cover with a caltrop on it, but the background color will be black, not dark red. Look here for a picture of the proposed cover art. I think it looks fantastic, though it's quite different from the UK cover design. If you want to comment on the U.S. cover art, my latest blog entry on the subject is here.

2 comments

Anonymous said...

I love the overall concept of the UK cover -- I particularly like the textural look of the blue and black, like velvet shimmering in candlelight. You are spot on, though, about the typography used for the title (the author's name in perfect). The floppy A, H, and B is distracting. They should use the same typeset that is used for the author's name for balance, in my humble opinion.

Antigonos said...

The typeface is "classic" 18th century, though. Look at any old handbill. I like it.

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