The author says:

Softcover non-fiction book providing a photo study of road signs in use by 21st Army Group in Northwest Europe during the Second World War.

Nathan says:

Well, that’s definitely niche.

I think I would up the historical/vintage character of the photos — instead of pristine back-and-white photos overlapping at perfect right angles, I’d have photos on yellowed paper with quarter-inch borders showing scratches and foxing, placed as if they were physically arranged on a background of khaki canvas or worn leather.  Similarly, the stenciled letters of the title wouldn’t be stark and perfect black-and-white, but a greenish off-white on a dark painted wood surface (or the same khaki or leather extending from beneath).  You would still be showing off old images, but you’d do so in a way that also gives your cover some warmth and character.

(And chop the number of images on your cover in half, at least.)

Other comments?

The author says:

Attempts has been made to redesign the cover to take into consideration the comments of those that gave their time and advice. Thank you.

[original submission and comments here]

Nathan says:

I’d say it’s a definite improvement over the first version, but it still has significant problems.  One of the commenters here often proposes this test: If this were a foreign edition of the book — i.e., if all of the text were translated into a language that the observer does not speak (in this case it would obviously be some other language which uses the Latin alphabet) — would the observer know anything about the book?

In this case, the answer is most definitely NO. The only actual image on the cover is the yin-yang symbol which, once one knows the book is about cross-cultural marriage, makes some sense, but that’s putting things in reverse order.

In addition, the punctuation and capitalization isn’t consistent with common use in book titles, and the “Care about me” (which I assume is a translation of the characters directly above it) is an odd phrase in English which doesn’t convey romance.

If someone were to come to me with this book and ask me to design a cover, my strongest impulse would be to find a stock image of an Asian woman in a smiling but chaste embrace with a Caucasian man, and crop it so that the woman is the clear focus of the cover (just enough of the man would show to indicate his presence and race/ethnicity).  The clear image of cross-cultural romance could then be reinforced and clarified by the text.

Any other comments?

The author says:

A guide to Chinese ladies, marriage, sex, culture, love, dating and living in China. The book reflects the opinions of the author and has been influenced by the opinions of some of his friends and trusted acquaintances. It is a genuine attempt to inform and help those people preparing for a serious relationship with a Chinese lady. Generalization has been necessary as no one example fits all. There are many underlying messages herein and the purpose of the book is to educate or inform as many people as possible.

Nathan says:

Um… Okay.

First up, whenever you put the words “pleasure” and “pain” in proximity, the inference drawn is overwhelmingly one of masochism.

Second, the dissociated facial features seems an awful lot like objectification — which is a bad thing.

Third, when you’re giving advice to men about saving money with foreign women… that sounds like prostitution.

Fourth, the way you’ve got the title fit in and around the photos makes it seem like an afterthought.

Fifth, having “Passion pleasure” right beside each other without any punctuation is just plain wrong.

Sixth, the two fonts chosen seem to have been whatever was on your computer at the time.

Seventh, half of the facial feature photos are of visibly poor resolution, and one (the nose) also has been stretched out of proportion.

I’m sorry, but there’s no part of this cover that doesn’t fail, and fail hard.  You would be much better off turning this over to a for-real cover designer.

The author says:

Title: Digital Tart Resubmit – started again from scratch. I re-wrote the description as well.

Genre: Science Fiction/Adventure

Setting: Near future

Clare Farral is in a cushy job, out of her stinking subsistence apartment, coaching the fledgling artificial intelligence of the DigiTart chat service. When she gets a psycho-caller laying the groundwork for the next cyberwar, new opportunities arise – a promotion to troubleshooter, a dodgy employee to check out, the chance at the latest in digital implants, and more trouble than she could have imagined, with only her wits to keep her one step ahead of getting killed. Lianne Medway, an enhanced police officer, investigating the murder of her old partner, is gunned down in what should have been the safety of a police barracks. On light duties, bereft of her powered armour, she pursues a lead and comes up against the ruthless Digital Tart. She knows she’s on the right track – people keep trying to kill her with ever-heavier weapons. The two women converge on the same target, unaware that he is a brutal mercenary employed by the Digital Tart. Their only chance is to decipher the puzzle, avoid getting shot and outsmart a trained killer.

[original submissions and comments here]

Nathan says:

While the specifics of any critique of this cover are different from those on the previous iteration, your reach still exceeds your grasp by a significant degree.  There are things here that are so wrong that an experienced designer would have trouble explaining why they’re wrong, because he would have internalized it to the degree that it becomes unconscious instinct:  the busyness of the background, the way the silhouette becomes absorbed into the skyline at thumbnail size, the too-small font sizes and the type treatment (especially on the byline) that is an impediment to reading…

I think you need to realize that cover design is a specific skill beyond the ability to operate PhotoShop, and that your book will be better off if someone with that specific skill creates your cover.  This is not an admission of failure, but an awareness of the role of expertise.  Just as you would not expect a cover designer to be able to write a compelling novel because of his track record in cover design, you should not expect to be able to design a good cover for your novel just because you wrote the novel.

Sorry, but it’s the truth.