Tastewise: I much prefer the maroon to the lilac as colour-choice. The former says "hearty" to me, while the latter says "old maid." It's raw steak & red wine versus pot pourri & Parma Violets, I guess. With the maroon I'd expect stories to be lean & muscular, while with the lilac I'd expect the stories to be... a bit precious maybe. If that makes sense?
BUT in terms of practicality: I can't deny that the black title on maroon is a bit lost compared to the purple on violet. The latter definitely jumps out more, even reads smoother. Like, with the first, the transition at the very bottom, where the black text becomes maroon on white, somehow weakens it, I'd say, whereas it somehow works with the two shades of violet.
Over all? Personally I'm inclined to the maroon... if there's a way to tweak the title for better instant readability.
The blank, purple top 1/3 of the cover bugs the crap out of me. The skeletal silhouette adds a gruesome dark note that's not made contextually clear. Nothing about this cover reads sexy "best gay stories" to me, so I'm wondering if the title should read more clearly as horror or dark story content. I wouldn't pluck this off a bookstore shelf because of the interesting cover. The palette reads sad and depressing with the funereal purple and black, and the plaintive figure supports that ambiance.
From the cover, I would expect all the stories in this collection to have dark themes and tragic endings. Do they?
--Jaye (who started writing after reading your "Path of Corruption")
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Tastewise: I much prefer the maroon to the lilac as colour-choice. The former says "hearty" to me, while the latter says "old maid." It's raw steak & red wine versus pot pourri & Parma Violets, I guess. With the maroon I'd expect stories to be lean & muscular, while with the lilac I'd expect the stories to be... a bit precious maybe. If that makes sense?
BUT in terms of practicality: I can't deny that the black title on maroon is a bit lost compared to the purple on violet. The latter definitely jumps out more, even reads smoother. Like, with the first, the transition at the very bottom, where the black text becomes maroon on white, somehow weakens it, I'd say, whereas it somehow works with the two shades of violet.
Over all? Personally I'm inclined to the maroon... if there's a way to tweak the title for better instant readability.
Reply
From the cover, I would expect all the stories in this collection to have dark themes and tragic endings. Do they?
--Jaye (who started writing after reading your "Path of Corruption")
Reply
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