r/BookCovers • u/Big_Exchange_2812 • May 01 '26

Feedback Wanted Design critique wanted!

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Made a post just a bit ago about wanting to learn more about cover design related to character art and was suggested to do a bunch of practice covers to build a possible portfolio. This is the design without text, because i know my typography will be horrifically lacking until i learn that aspect better, but this was designed with text placement in mind. Looking for feedback specifically on design elements and how well this would work as a front cover in general! Of course, this is practice by using alice in wonderland. All constructive feedback welcome! Thank you

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u/onceagainonearth May 01 '26

It really caught my attention; I would definitely pick up that book to take a look if I saw it on display in a bookstore! I would only change a few small things to better fit the title and author's name, perhaps move the illustration a little higher, I would place the title well below Alice, and change the color of the clock to a more bluish tone, so it doesn't stand out so much behind the title and becomes more of a "background" element. And that's it. I really don't think it needs many changes, you did a great job! Especially if this project is for a new edition of Alice in Wonderland (I assumed it was), people already know the title and what the work is about, so let the art do its job and attract attention! 😊 Covers and artwork do sell. There are collectors who buy the same story they love multiple times just to have the most beautiful covers and editions ever made of the story they love with them.
If you eventually end up working at a publishing house, you often won't even need to worry about typography, because they have designers to handle that part. Knowing typography is a plus, but it's not mandatory for a good illustrator.

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u/Big_Exchange_2812 May 01 '26

This is a really lovely comment, thank you! Im glad it caught your attention!

I could definitely do some adjusting and resizing, since i kept a lot of individual elements separate.

It makes me really happy to hear you assumed it was for a new addition! This is the first cover ive ever designed and i just want to build up a lot more practice with projects and novels i already know and love!

Okay thank you! I know i have a lot of learning to do about typography, and i know how important it is for covers, but deep down my goal would be to work on illustration itself. I know a lot of publishers separate the designer role from the illustrator one, but i also get that a lot of indie authors are only paying one person to do the whole thing. So i get why some people expect the typography of me, too. Its definitely a skill i need to gain!