Book Cover Design Challenge - Final Critique, Young Guns 2 Ep. 10
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ส.ค. 2024
- How do you design a strong concept? Why is it so difficult to come up with a good idea? Why must your design speak for itself? What makes for an interesting book cover?
In episode 10 of The Futur Young Guns Season 2, Chris critiques the designers' book cover assignment. This is the second round of their design reviews, but as we'll find, it's very difficult to come up with a strong concept and execute it. Who will emerge as the winner of this design challenge?
Want to take on a design challenge? Play along and compare your results. Tag us on IG @thefuturishere with the hashtag #FuturYoungGuns
01:11 - Maitreyee designs: The Hobbit, A Christmas Carol, Dracula.
07:21 - Annie designs: Catcher in The Rye, Fahrenheit 451, The Visitor.
17:10 - Meghan designs: Jane Eyre, The Yellow Wallpaper, The Bell Jar.
25:00 - Anastasia designs: Anna Karenina, Crime and Punishment, Great Expectations.
30:24 - Monika designs: Romeo and Juliet, Moby Dick.
36:54 - Ria designs: Romeo and Juliet, Pride and Prejudice, Lolita.
41:55 - The winner of the book design challenge
45:13 - On the Next Episode
Watch the Previous Episode: • Book Cover Design Conc...
Watch the whole Young Guns series here: bit.ly/2GokttL
Here are the parameters:
• Take 3 classic fiction books
• Redesign covers
• Cohesive set (theme, color, style, etc…)
• Use Template - Found on our affiliate link here*: 👉 bit.ly/YG2-book
Judging criteria:
1. Concept (surprise) A-ha moment
2. Convey the main theme
3. Shelf presence (draw the viewer in)
4. Cohesiveness
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Follow these designers' journey on Instagram:
/ anastasiavlasenko_
/ annieyangdesigns
/ maitreyee.k
/ mindfulpursuits
/ monikapern
/ ria.hardcastle
/ tos.adeniyi
#GraphicDesign #Portfolio #BookDesign
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Host- Chris Do
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@@robaustin_ Ricky...... Thanks Rob we've fixed it
Thank you, very interesting!
This was the last video of the series I'm going to edit. Hope you all enjoyed the series!
IDK I feel like these videos feel so shaggy compared to season 1 :/
Ricky are you moving out ? or the series YG is over ?
btw you did a great job.👍👍👍
@@imdxpertm I just have some other things at the studio that require my full attention. More episodes are on the way and in the hands of editors who will have my full confidence will smash it.
Look who's here! Hey Ricky 🙌
Thanks for the video Ricky! I couldn’t even begin to wrap my head around an edit like this.
The Yellow Paper one from Meghan was incredible, I saw it in the miniature and i was drawn into it right away, the contrast, the type and the odd shapes are a good combination.
I also like Anastasia, I think she was the deserving winner in this one, I really like how she experiment with different techniques and how she balance positive and negative space in order to get a sophisticated product.
Agree with you. The Yellow Paper is powerful!
As a bibliophile, a striking imagery that jumps out at me makes me pick up the book. I don't have to solve the 'puzzle' on the cover, but I would like to be drawn and curious enough to get the book home.
Sorry just gotta go on a limb and say, I think Meghan did a really great job. The book covers spoke to me as a consumer who has never read these titles before. Definitely got me interested to buy a few of them to read!
I think they were interesting but the final execution was a little bit poor. It was a photo and something in front of it. To me it wasn't deep enough compared to Anastasia's cover design.
Kevin Erquinigo you have a fair point, but let’s not discredit the process behind how she arrived to the idea. if it’s about the concept, yeah admittedly it’s lacking depth. however that said. The decisions made with regards to using photography helped her stand out. I would really like to see how it ends up on a actual print, loads of covers are ‘simple’ in that sense but often the simplest ones do a great job engaging a consumer off the shelf and if that sells the product, job well done!
My favourite one was the Hobbit, that one cover nail the book.
@@kevinerquinigo5527 I think you might be over simplifying what she created. In hindsight it may be easy to say that it was a photo with something in front of it. But the actual thought process behind it is quite deep. Just by the fact that she was the only one who thought of mixing photography in that manner as part of the cover, and not to mention, photographing herself to be part of the cover is quite a daring move in itself. I think one definitely has to give credit for the fact that she was willing to experiment that much. I for one definitely admired Meghan and Anastasia's covers a lot.
@@siddharthavalluri I'm sorry if I gave that impression, I really valued what Megan did, but I think when it comes the final visual aesthetic Anastasia got it right. But that's me, what I really want to point out is that we are talking about a book cover design and it's functionality, maybe Megan's works for selling and Anastasia's won't. Everything besides that is pure personal taste, right?
I'm sorry, not a native english speaker.
I'm seriously amazed by how most of them went ahead and did things so creatively and unexpectedly. This was really great.
This challenge was so difficult. Well done to the designers for braving through it!
it was very hard. they did a good job.
Not often I disagree with a critique but I have to say I thought Meghan's designs were bang on - as the target market for this design I would have been immediately drawn to the covers and intrigued. It's worth remembering the target market is the key not necessarily the 'design'. Books often have more than one cover in an attempt to reach various target markets - Meghan's would have reached my demographic.
good point claire.
Claire Barnett yep. I have to agree. For me Megan’s designs allowed you interpret what could the story about. That’s how I decide to buy s book. The design with the cookie cutter would have been interesting but I mas someone that has read all those stories I think Megan design conveyed the book correctly
Yes, I would buy the books based on her covers
Meghan broke the rule by including images, may be that's the reason of her not winning
Dear Chris, this channel is hard work of your efforts and dedication. If someone/something had upset you just forget it. There are good students who still value your guidance.
Remember the reason why you started this show. Wish we will soon see the passionate and energetic Master Chris Do!
thanks for your support.
At this point is pretty clear that the biggest obstacle for this season’s participants to overcome is not creativity or talent but self confidence. You are good girls! The point is to be better every day. The process is simple yet not easy (those are two very different things). You learn and you grow. Painfully sometimes but rewarding in the end. Keep it up!
The Yellow Wallpaper from Meghan is so strong! I would definitely pick that book if I saw it on a shelf!
I completely agree with the decision. On a side note, come on girls! We need to toughen up a bit and not receive constructive criticism so emotionally... You are so talented and Cris is taking you to the next level.
In my typography class in undergrad, we had a book cover project but the catch was that we had to design the covers of 3 unrelated books in a way so that when you put all of them side-by-side, they create a greater meaning or concept. The three designs also had to share a visual language or structure so that they seem related.
I ended up picking Animal Farm, Without You There is No Us (Memoir of Suki Kim's experience in North Korea) and the Art of War all with the faces of the dictators spread across the entire back-front cover so that when you read the book, the faces of the dictators are looking out at other people.
My professor also wanted us to distinguish the difference between designing a concept vs illustrating the book. It was one of the most challenging design projects I had in my undergrad career.
that sounds like a good assignment.
Meghan, I love the books you chose and have read them! I really like both your first draft and your final designs, I was amazed, so be super confident in yourself, you're really good :)) I agree with the other comments that you should've won
Anastasia is an amazing designer, as an avid book reader I would have bought both designs because they really speak to me :)
glad they spoke to you. Thank you!
@@anastasiavlasenko1048 Yeah I was so impressed I picked up the book Crime and punishment ^^ I've added you on Insta (blender.ftw) to see your future work, hope you're active there :)
@@lowkey276 that's honestly the best thing that could come out of this, for someone to get interested in this amazing book. thanks for following along, I will try to be more active on insta :)
While I do agree with all of the points Chris made, I have to say that Meghan really did a dope job with her covers!
she certainly did.
Meghan, I loved your final designs! so appealing! And Anastasia, well deserved winner! I was so impressed by your creative work with photography. I would love to see more of this style from you! The real painting, and burning of a paper... Just wow! Inspiring!
This is such a simple and great exercise in design. I am excited to see each designers renditions since each book can be interpreted differently on a personal/emotional level.
The winner is the sound effects person with The Peanuts sound effects at the end. That got Me GOOD! But really congrats to all those young women. Really tough challenge.
agreed. So true- about the Winner.
To Ria, my spirit sister, believe in your work, you are a powerful designer and I think your design will improve with more self-confidence. With each new design, you will learn something new and in 5 years from now, you will look back and be like wow I learned so much... SO no more imposter syndrome okay !!! We Futur youtube followers believe in you ! you got this tribe on your side!!!
Ugh! My heart just grew five sizes! Dear one thank you so so so much for this comment! I am taking it to heart
I hope Annie continues doing her cute style of design, if she truly masters that, she'll have a great career because clients will come to her knowing they want that style
again, I'm not a designer BUT this is soooo amazing. cause Chris and his team show exactely how to open a mind, how to make it fly and explore. each profession has it's own language and layers. language isn't just words made of letters, language is history, concepts, theories, prefixes, suffixes, language shifts, code switching and sooooo much more so as each profession is sooooo much more than you see on the surface. design as all other professions where you want to get to a deep understanding need to be understood and explored in many different ways, seen from many different perspectives cause design isn't just a logo, a book cover ..........
32:10 that subtle epic background music with serious dialogues of design critique LOL
These young guns series with the critics are the best I think. I can learn a lot from it. Keep up the good work guys!
when you give thefutur videos a like before it even starts 😁
thanks!
When are you going to hold another challenge? I loved this and would have KILLED IT!
XD
love this, great work from all the girls, they really took this challenge to the next level!
My only concern is that the end user was never discussed through the challenge, and I realized this would be really important when chris mentioned he didn't really know some of the books and that made me realize that the concepts and executions could've been very different if the target audience knew the story already or not.
PS. I love the editing and format of this video, great work ricky!
it would also be cool to have the sm info to follow these talented designers!
@@SebastianLecona did you check the episode notes?
@@thefutur ups, I think I missed that, I'll check them now :3
Very interesting critique! It will definitely make me look more critically at my own book design portfolio.
That said, one thing that wasn't touched on in this is the importance of bold typography on book covers. So many books are purchased online these days, so having a bold title is super important. I know the emphasis was on conceptual thinking, which is great, but many of the designs would struggle to stand out in today's book market because the titles aren't that big or bold. While the conceptual stuff is fantastic, I think it's important to consider the designs from a market point of view as well, if not more so.
Nonetheless, great video! Thank you for all that you do. And what a wonderful bunch of designers!
To me Ria made the most consistent work, of course it would need little tweaks. But the winner takes it all... So finally you got sponsorship! Hurrah!!
Thank you!
Anastasia, you SO deserved this! The concept and DELIVERY was super awesome.
If I walk into a book store, I will definitely pick Meghan's 1st and 3rd book.
in the future, maybe do a super quick recap of Chris's critique before showing the designers reactions and final products. I know Chris had a lot of notes for these women but it's been a while since the last episode and a little 10-30 second recap of Chris' notes before each designer can bring the viewer back up to speed. Just a thought. I'll sit down now.
good suggestion. noted.
Yeah. That would be nice. I spent 5 minutes going back and forth between the last two episodes to see if I forgot to watch one lol. I still kind of feel like I missed an episode!?
The communication between Chirs and Ricky at the end is priceless 😄
SpaceRanger I wish I could have shown you all the banter I had to cut. It was priceless😂
I really love this series. I just need to give some feedback and say that the editing and timelines are quite confusing as a viewer. I felt like I was lost and missed out on conversations and steps of the process when new older designs were suddenly shown later that didn't appear in previous episodes. It made me feel disconnected and like I missed videos even though I didn't. Also just a note to the editor to display what is being critiqued when the critiquing is happening, and cut away to reactions and expressions from Chris or the Young Guns when appropriate and interesting. It can feel frustrating as a viewer to not see immediately what is being referenced or talked about. All around, very enjoyable and informative - thank you!
This looked like a really difficult challenge. Everyone was really pushed out of their comfort zone. I liked Ria's illustrations a lot and we also share the same name :) Kudos to all the YG Ladies!
it was super hard!
When this season is over i'm going to miss Ria so much! She lacks confidence and that's exactly why she is a good designer, who will eventually become a GREAT one!
Encina to the rescue 💪 I think you chose the best designs overall. Really liked the original strangers one too. Well done Young Guns! 👍
As soon as I saw Anastasia's book cover I knew she was gonna win the challenge. The concept and the professional look really surprised me.
it means a lot. Thank you!
@@anastasiavlasenko1048 you really did a good job. And I can see that you didn't expect to win, but you have to be nice with yourself, you deserve it. Thanks for making this show so entertaining!!
So no one's going to comment on Monika's behaviour? Because I found it quite shocking
It was weird to see how she didn't accept the critique at all.
Agreed
Shocking is an exaggeration I think. She might have had a strong feeling something was misunderstood or taken the wrong way and expressed it. Unfortunately, truth is design is not about you, but about the audience. If they misinterpret your designs, it's not their fault.
Monika seems extraordinarily arrogant and egotistical in comparison to the other people on the show. Could be a language barrier, but I doubt it. She conveys herself in a very unpleasant way.
@@mwarriorm right?
I really like Ria’s illustrations, but Anastasia’s victory was well-deserved. Both of the Anna Karenina covers are killer!
I personally could not decide which was the best. I like one cover while the other two did not like. I dunno tough choice.
But....... I think the contestants are too exhausted trying push a wow reaction. They gotta enjoy the contest. They are mentally blocking their creativity. Critique is hard to over come but this is part of the experience.
Great job!!
36:27 it's so interesting for me to listen to all those young designers given my background in anglistics, the study of english language, cultural studies, literally studies where we had to analyse so many books and do lots of interpretations of all the english literature:))))
Through this challenge it looked like the ladies worked very hard but maybe not on a challenge or a market like this before. It was a little said that they couldn’t of felt happier but powerful that they pushed and showed they are still young and learning and sometimes you need to hit the next level that you couldn’t see before.
I remember uni crits I didn’t get why I hadn’t done right and usually it was cos I was too happy with first visual on page and hadn’t seen how to push the idea. (Felt it goes really well with one of the build a brand videos where your designers did concept boards and so many iterations looking to discuss the idea that fitted not just pitch the one they loved, something I’ve not done to that way before)
Annie I just saw your cat in the background hehe ^_^ !
Love LOVE the Cover Arts! How much a push in the right direction can really do to a creation!
Tough project. These novels are complex and subject to a universe of interpretations, let alone graphic interpretations. Tough calls with such subjective material. Great work ladies. Lots of growth on a tough assignment!
I am addicted to this series. You guys rock.
Thank you
I have to agree with Monika. The designs told a good story and the execution is great. I was surprised by Chris' feedback too.
One critique that I see where you're going Chris.. but disagree with, is the one on the Romeo and Juliet's cover. Holding the book in your hand, the spine creates this nice barrier or an illusion of a wall. As you open the book (and begin your dive into their story and how close they really are), the full image is seen, bringing the two figures together.
Just my two cents.
I was just throwing ideas out there. it's obviously a complex problem to solve that requires a lot more thinking.
I totally agree with you except the Romeo and Juliet cover from RIA, she's done a really good job but with 2 swords I'm not quite sure when you see it if you don't know anything about the book the swords will tell you something about war and take you away from the original story.
I don't know if what I'm talking about it is right or got it but
I really hope that you will see it and give me feedback. thanks this episode was helpful.
Wow!! They become better every time. Amazing
PITCH IDEA: Rusty Guns...think about it... ;)
Haha. I like it. Short and sweet.
This was a clever mission for the designers. Novel covers are tough! and In the same ballpark as wine labels or perfume ads.. because you're trying to communicate something which is intangible and almost impossible to convey through a single sense in a short space of time.
Anastasia's well deserved! I like her experimentations
Wait weren't there more people in this show did I miss something?
Yes did not see Tos critique...
@@erickadinis7953 She didn't participate this round dude to personal issues.
Meghan 2nd round edits would be books that is interesting enough to pick up and purchase - The shape of the woman in The Yellow Wallpaper isn't noticeable and is like an Easter egg of the cover.
Uhhh I think everyone did a nice job but I really think Ria had the best execution holistically. Presentation, linking concept, uniqueness, shelf presence. I think she wins overall. Just my opinion.
I lke the old catcher in the rye
I just feel every person reacts very differently to book covers. Books are a very personal experience and thus attraction is based on one's past experiences, culture, likes, etc. Just my two cents. I agree to some of the critiques while I felt some of other critiques may have been too nuanced!
I love Meghan design.what an upgrade
i liked the first catcher in the rye draft
man, monica really cant take a critique
finally, I'm really excited
Designing book covers for novels is hard. It requires a lot of conceptual thinking and being subtle. They did a pretty good job. I feel like great book design comes with experience and also being a literature fan helps.
I just talked about RIA because before I hear your critique in every single design I pause the video and critique it first and then listen to you and see where the point I messed it but in Romeo and Juliet cover from RIA I think I have a point here so I hope that you will give me your feedback and share your thoughts why you didn't talk about it.
thanks for this awesome episode I hope you gonna reason to my comment and did not get killed by my long comment.
keep it up...
I'm sorry Monica, but you could use some being humble. You could take a lot from Chris' critique if you accepted it.
it's okay if monica has her own opinions. I don't purport to know everything. design can be very subjective so that's a fair criticism (in a way). if you're asking a person for their opinion (nature of critiques) then stating that your opinion is subjective is redundant though.
Man... I remember way back doing a project like that in college. It’s not that easy to do a book cover. So, ladies... awesome job! Question, were we missing a designer? Did someone got cut from the design team?
Is summarizing the theme really necessary? Wouldn't it make more sense to prioritize the design aesthetic of the setting of the novel, taking into consideration also the context within which the book was written? If 8 out of the top 10 books in the New York Times Bestseller fiction section are historical fiction, it seems like type emblematic of a certain time and place would do much more to draw in the majority of the intended customers here. Maybe the problem is the prompt of building a system for books that differ so much in context from each other. Also, if these books are all classics, wouldn't it make sense to let the recognizable titles shine as much as possible? I don't know that any illustration or symbolism is even necessary, just font choice. These are just my thoughts. Also, if someone is looking to purchase a classic book, they are either a curious adult who has heard the name before and never read it, or a high school/middle school student who is purchasing for school. The book doesn't need to be sold through the design, it just needs to be found. Adding on, someone who has a book like To Kill a Mockingbird on their shelf would probably like to show that off, to demonstrate they have a strong sense of culture. Large type on both book title and author name would help with this recognizability, as well as a variety of stamps showing all the millions of awards that the book has gotten.
maybe something that could work would be a "pulitzer winner" book system with a sophisticated approach and historically notable reviews on the back cover and all the honors it has received on the front. All out ethos. Nobody is going to read a book that was written a century ago unless it's still relevant.
covers need to be about an idea. it's not just an aesthetic exercise.
pls chris organize a competition for us viewers.... plssssss
i have in the past and people don't engage as much as you think. did you participate in the game of thrones logo challenge?
@@thefuturno sir I did not get to participate... I got to know your channel two years ago... But I got very engaged this year because of the different interesting programs on your channel.... So I think now u guys should have more engaged viewers for a competition🙃😊
Anastasia:
I loved her final product, well deserved.
Annie:
Catcher in The Rye (NEW)
The Stranger (OLD)
Fahrenheit 451 (NEW) Minus the fire...
Meghan:
TBH Meghans first designs looked really good and appealing. The new ones are good but I really love her first ones.
Monika:
I totally don't understand how Monika didn't understand your concept of Romeo and Juliet.
I'm just ranting right now...
Anastasia - the second round edits were ok... Crime and Punishment is the best of it. The 3rd set of designs with the white backgrounds were one theme BUT murdering the title of Great Expectations for emphasis is a bad move. It looks like a self-help book on "Great, Great, Great, Great, Expectations". Shadowing the word 'Great' to make it look like being "echoed" would have worked.
Excited 🔥🔥👋🏾🇿🇼
catching up with all the futur videos haha
does anybody have a link to that funny fake commercial video with Master Do as a fake infomercial sales man? sorry for the of topic request
40:08 "OH" ಠoಠ
This is awesome
What an amazing series! I gotta add though, the train tracks for Anna Karenina is not a very good choice IMHO. Imagine a book about Abraham Lincoln having only a gun, by which he was killed, on its cover.
I actually agree with you, I wanted to avoid that from the beginning. But it's not only about Anna either, so coming up with an image that would perfectly convey everything this book is about is hard.
Maitreyee's final version were beautiful.
None of Annie's designs appealed to me. Neither the originals, the in-betweens, nor the finals.
Meghan's designs were fantastic.
Anastasia's designs were ok but don't really tell me anything about the books.
The Moby Dick cover Monika designed wasn't too bad but could have used more contrast. The R&J cover left too much to be desired though. I'm also a bit put off by her overly defensive response video.
Ria's R&J cover was nice but the other two wouldn't get me to pick them off the shelves.
thanks for the feedback.
how to make book cover for Amazon prime, Kindle, Spotify....plz upload vedio on it and explain in detail... please
Loved the Moby Dick one!
Yaa'teeh abin (Good Morning)
The Catcher on the Rye (NEW) cover reminds me of the Jonathan Livingston Seagull book - only in black. Just saying. Fahrenheit 451 (NEW), looks better than the old one but lacks oomph. The Stranger (OLD) but not interesting enough despite the interesting flipped type.
p.s. I am a fan of Chip Kidd and I find this episode (and comment section) very interesting.
It would've been interesting if the dragon and the gang were facing the same direction. Imminent confluence
Ria is kinda cute, I also love her fun and delightful character.
Which pen are you using @Chris?
There was some strange but interesting to see cut where the summary shots for some ladies showed totally different designs than chris looked at for 1st Version
Hey Guys has Tos left the show ?
She'll be back.
Ria's are really cool 💗
33:39 Unless you are a Foxy Grandpa.
-Spongebob
Ria - Book cover designers read the book to be able to get the idea of how to interpret the book in imagery. I am pretty sure Romeo & Juliet is a tragic love story and not a murder scene. Pride & Prejudice is unrequited love. Lolita, is about taboo and obsession, not a man in the van. Again, this is from a book reader's point of view.
The reason she won was because of the simplicity of the design.
Design in its rawest form is problem solving which she did greatly.
Good job!
Can you share a list of your favorite book cover designs of all time?
There is a missing designer. What happened?
family/personal issue.
❤❤❤
I feel like season one had a lot more zing to it, season 2 is better produced but it feels like its lacking relationship between Chris and the the young guns.
what makes you say that? am I a different person?
35:36 I analysed her micro expressions. This girl has troubles with critique, as she even says is subjective and surprised about. She shows disgust at Chris's concept and pomposity all throughout. I just wish she could do better at design so she can be in this series more often. It's because it's rare and entertaining to find such hideous people
Please, what happened to Tosin? I haven't seen any reference to her?
she had to take some time off for personal reasons
@@rickylucas Poor girl. Hope she makes it back in time. Thanks Ricky.
@@wolathomas She was able to make the coaching call we had a few weeks ago, peep her question Tuesday when the episode drops.
thats insider info so... shhhhh
@@rickylucas :D
thanks for this awesome episode I hope you gonna respond to my comment and did not get killed by my long comment.
keep it up...
Forget Man or Women, next time just get whoever you think is best for the program.
There'll be bias there an inevitably the audience will be comparing men and women, when in reality it's just about the individual's performance.
there were enough opportunities for guys to be on the show. just wanted to rebalance the scale a little.
11:33 Anyone saw the spiderman? 😂