It's been a strange week, filled with reminders of how fragile life and health can be. Due to all of that, and more, I'm feeling a little bit dark - in a true romantic kind of way (Ah! We suffer so beautifully!) and a lot nostalgic. The nostalgia piece is probably what prompted me to […]
If there’s one thing that drives a designer completely freaking insane, it’s awful fonts. Well, okay, it’s not so much the fonts themselves, it’s how they’re styled. So often, you can spot a DIY book cover design because of wonky looking typography. So let me save you some heartache (and keep your readers from wanting […]
You've probably seen this piece of crap advice floating through the interwebs: "If you want to be successful, find someone who has achieved the results you want and copy what they do and you'll achieve the same results." Total B.S. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. Recently, Shenee Howard was sharing her […]
The other day I stumbled across this article about getting your book cover done on the cheap, part of a series called "Self-Publishing on a Shoestring". The first part is great, well-written and smart, and it's awesome to see someone who is NOT a designer talking about how essential a great cover design really is. […]
Images are faster than thought - something either catches your attention and gets you curious to learn more, or it doesn't. When it comes to a strong-selling book cover design, your image matters. While most of the authors I work with are entrepreneurs using non-fiction books to grow their reach, I'm having fun with some […]
I've been scouring Amazon, looking at book covers, and I decided to make one over just for kicks. Let me be super clear, because I hate misleading content: Dr. Patty Ann is not a client. She didn't ask me to do this, and this makeover is not official or connected with her in any way. […]
If you’re a Trekkie like me, you probably already know what I’m talking about. If you’re not, well . . . <sigh> . . . I love you anyway, so let me explain: My all-time favorite episode of TOS* is Mirror, Mirror. A landing party has beamed down to a planet to negotiate for dilithium […]
(no matter how good it looks) The other morning I got an email from someone whose list I’ve been on for a long time. I appreciate her work a lot, and I’m excited to see that she’s launching a new thing into the world. Her subject line promised some great new training, the email copy […]
Pantone's color of the year: Ultra Violet. I love this one. It's the first that has appealed to me since Radiant Orchid in 2014. It's gorgeous, it's a color I can wear (unlike last year's vibrant Greenery), and I love the philosophy outlined in this image from Pantone's website. So how do you incorporate things […]
(or "what I really wanted to do with my life") You probably didn't know this about me, but I didn't always want to be a designer. When I was a little girl, what I wanted to be more than anything was one of the Heritage Singers. Now, that's pretty specific to the subculture I grew […]
In a Facebook group exclusively made up of designers, I recently saw someone post variations on her own logo & ask, “Which one do you like?” I see this kind of feedback request ALL THE TIME, and it drives me nuts. After several comments came in about various designers’ personal preferences, the original poster finally […]
