M3 2015

Maryland's annual all-day rock festival for what is primarily forgotten hair bands, M3, just occurred over the past weekend. The overall design of this poster pretty much fits the idea of what a modern-day hard rock festival poster should look like - some rusty demonic imagery, a dark background, capital letters throughout. With the exception of the headliners, who use their logotypes, all of the acts are listed in a capital, thin, sans serif font, showing that they don't exactly mean serious business, but still want to be loud and in your face. It is nice that the band names are neat and orderly rather than leaving them all as the same font size and having them stick out at the end without any invisible edge that lines them up. The host listing at the bottom, particularly with 'Tawny Kitaen & Bobbie Brown', feels off. It might be better to keep them all on one line or use two lines to list the hosts rather than mixing it up in the middle.

The box art for the complete series of Dr. Katz (the packaging of which was very nicely put together), primarily uses the Courier New font outside of the show's logo. All of the information fits well, and nothing is tightly packed into the space provided. The centered text under the bonus features feels weird when I look at it, but I suppose it looks better centering the information in order of appearance rather than "pyramid-style."

Dasani

The Dasani water bottle label is the typical blue that dons most water bottle labels. The text is all appropriately placed and uses the space well, as is to be expected from a widely known brand seen practically everywhere. As such, I can't really say I have any issue with this.

Pokémon Red

The box art to Pokémon Red features the very popular Charizard on the front. Beneath the instantly recognizable logo is the franchise's motto, "Gotta catch 'em all!" Judging from the font style and the color choices alone, it is pretty clear that Pokémon is targeted toward children. By the time the games came to the U.S., the show had already started airing 22 days prior, so kids were already familiar with the logo, meaning the Charizard slightly overlapping the title did nothing to hide its identity.

The back cover features the logo again along with an overview of the game. Nothing overlaps any text (except the player character's hand on the logo), as the text works around the images so it can be read, as should be expected. I don't really have any issue with how the box art is laid out.

Fountains of Wayne - "Traffic and Weather"

The artwork for Fountains of Wayne's Traffic and Weather is very toned down with the psychedelic style, especially compared to Drivin' N' Cryin's Songs from the Psychedelic Time Clock, so this is probably more along the lines of what the latter should have done. While the design is strange, it does not seem like too much is going on. The text is all very clear and easy to read, although the white band name is backed right up against that white star, so the star should probably be moved away from the name just a bit.

The tracklisting on the back is good, too, and it calls back to the font of the album title on the front. The space was used very well, although I would like to see another yellow star on the right side to fill in some of that negative space.

Soul Asylum - "Let Your Dim Light Shine"

Soul Asylum's Let Your Dim Light Shine, the follow-up to their mainstream breakthrough album, Grave Dancers Union (not that that even matters here; I just needed an introduction), featured yet another dark cover that graced a good portion of their albums and singles. While the text, which appears to be handwritten, is much easier to read when it falls on the darker portions of the photograph, which is pretty much the bulk of it. When 'your' reaches a lighter part, it kind of blends in and looks like "let you dim light shine," but anyone with a basic understanding of grammar should pick up on what it really says right away.

Old 97's - "Drag It Up"

The design on the cover of the Old 97's album, Drag It Up, is very interesting, looking like someone had ripped pages from a book or magazine or newspaper and pasted them together and painted on top of them. The text is very carefree, in that sense, because it does not adhere to any boundaries set by typing normally. The band name stands out a lot, which is fairly important when looking for them in a music store. The album title, however, specifically 'Drag', does not stand out as much with the blue text on top of the blue background, though there is a black stroke around the title to separate. At least with the blue on yellow, it is clear that there is an album title, so it is not all bad, and it is important that the album title be separate from the band name so it doesn't all look the same, so the designer did a good job on that part with the different colors, too.

Jellyfish - "Spilt Milk"

One issue I've always had with Jellyfish's logo is that, even though I know it says "Jellyfish," it does not look like it says "Jellyfish" because the 'y' and the 'f' are connected, so it is more like a 'y' with an added appendage to the right and it initially looks like "Jellyish." The album title in the droplet, while fitting, also faces a first-glance illegibility issue. Of course, they are still attractive designs, nonetheless, and they do not ruin the cover, but they are still hard to pick up in the first second before the viewer realizes what they say.

Drivin' N' Cryin' - "Songs from the Psychedelic Time Clock"

The third installment of Drivin' N' Cryin's recent set of four EPs, Songs from the Psychedelic Time Clock, certainly does not shy away from its name on the cover. This cover, designed by frontman Kevn Kinney, is probably the least visually appealing of the EPs. The font choice is very interesting, though also a bit illegible at first, and the album title does not stand out much in front of the design. As much as I like the music on the EP, the cover kind of comes off looking cheap and phony, and though it is clear that a lot of work has been put into, it is not really the most visually satisfactory result. I think the text would still be fine here if a more realistic, yet still "psychedelic," design had been used.

Empire Records

This Empire Records movie poster, as movie posters normally do, focuses primarily on the image aspect of the design. The title stands out, as it should, and it looks very much like a sign for an established record store. I like that the photo, title, and credits line up just about perfectly. The tagline is rather small and the photo tends to pull any attention away from it, but I like the additional touch that "Open 'til Midnight" adds to the title. The credits area is fine (though it can't really be much different from what it is), but the "featuring music by" section seems awfully cramped.

Lightning Bug

This cover for a Region 2 release of Robert Hall's Lightning Bug differs a good bit from the US release (particularly on the back cover). For starters, this cover is significantly brighter than the US cover, which doesn't fit as well with the dark tone of the movie, although the images are a little clearer as a result. The brightness of the text does make it a little hard to read, however, although even the US cover has a little bit of a legibility issue. I am not a fan of the font used on the back because it looks cheap and light and it does not fit with the theme of the movie. It also looks like the photos in the middle are pushing the text up to the top of the back cover. The cast photos on the back also seem unnecessary, and the overall design would have been significantly better had they stuck with the original US design, although I suppose different things appeal to people in different countries.

Angus Oblong - "Creepy Susie"

The cover for Angus Oblong's Creepy Susie (presumably designed entirely by Oblong himself) does not have much going on, not that that is a bad thing at all. In fact, from the look of it, because some of the same letters vary slightly, the cover appears to be hand-drawn by him, which would mean there is not necessarily any actual type involved. However, this does not mean type-related design elements are not taken into consideration here. Oblong still took care in centering the text in the subtitle (although the 'other' does seem a little close to the drawing of Susie), and it is interesting in that the text is not centered on the actual cover, but rather within the mirror frame. The only thing I might change, even though it is tiny and pretty much unimportant, is reducing the size of the subtitle slightly so the top part doesn't run right up into the drawing of Susie.

Mo Hayder - "Birdman"

In the shadow of dimmer lighting, it would be difficult (actually, it is difficult) to see the title on this cover for Mo Hayder's first book in her Jack Caffery series, Birdman. It does help a little that the title is embossed on the cover, so it stands out somewhat, but a different color (black or white, for example) would probably look better here. The overall design of the cover is very good, however. Everything is placed well, nothing else gets lost, and the cover image is very interesting and relates to the actual story. The wording on the back cover (not shown here), however, is all very close together and similar in size and style, which seems to suggest that the quotes are as important as the synopsis, but it all seems a little much.

Primavera Sound 2015

This poster for the 2015 Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona, Spain features a design at the top of keys of various shapes, whatever it means in relation to the festival. Fortunately, this design does not interfere with the most important part of the poster, which is the festival lineup. The keys are also spaced apart enough that the design does not feel heavy. As most, if not all festival posters show, the font size gets smaller as the artists through the lineup become less "big." This, as usual, makes it difficult to see the smaller supporting acts, so they are certainly banking on the headliners drawing enough interest to pull the viewers closer.

Handsome Coffee

This package of Handsome Coffee beans is very fitting with its title. The packaging is rather attractive considering how minimalist and simple it is. The type on the package has that kind of handmade/handwritten look to it. and considering its style, is probably meant to appeal to hipster types (who generally are already into coffee, anyway). I am assuming the other important information is on the back or the sides, and they are probably just as well done.

Dee Snider's "Strangeland"

The dark image and the red text make it pretty clear right away that Dee Snider's "Strangeland" is likely a film of the horror genre (or a thriller, at the very least), which it is. The "jagged" arrangement of the title, in addition to the jumbled red text behind it suggest that it will at least fit Snider's idea of a mind-boggling, thrilling horror film, and I'd say the cover does a good job of representing what this film intends to portray.

Pearl Jam concert poster

Stylistically, this Pearl Jam poster is very well-done. However, in terms of legibility, there is a problem. While the type fits with the image, it is difficult to make out the words within the image right away. I had a hard time figuring out that the show was in Montreal because the way the type is used causes a bit of distortion and leads to barely recognizable letters. As an advertisement (which this, hopefully, might not have been), this poster is rather weak for this. As a piece of concert memorabilia (which this most likely would have been), however, this type issue can be easily overlooked and the poster can be appreciated more for its overall design.

Ice-T - "The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say"

At first glance, the "Iceberg" title is difficult to read clearly because it is written in an "icy" graffiti-like style that comes off looking illegible. Even harder to see is the "Freedom of Speech" subtitle because the red blurs and blends in with the image behind it. The "Iceberg" issue is only momentary, but a different style might have fared better (although surely this album performed well for Ice-T regardless). As for the subtitle, maybe darkening the image and using a lighter/white font would make it easier to see and less painful for the viewer's eyes.

"Dreaming of Sweden" - Andrew Brown

This cover for Andrew Brown's "Dreaming of Sweden" (apparently really called "Fishing in Utopia," but titled as the former here for whatever reason) is a bit minimalist, yet intriguing. The front cover works really well. I like that the bottom portion of the title is spaced over so the ascender of the 'd' lines up with the descender of the 'g'. The back half of the fish running off the middle of the page is also interesting. The spine is fine, and I like that the fish is used again to separate the title from the author. The back cover, however, could do a better job with its use of space. It just seems unreasonably empty, and there definitely could be something filling up all of that negative space. Perhaps having the head of the fish in the middle so it relates back to the front would fix this.

Paradise Meadow organic premium dried cranberries package

The font used on the packaging for these dried cranberries, for the most part, has a sort of mature, trustworthy feeling, which should be expected from dried cranberries as they are the type of food that would only appeal to mature people who want to trust their brand. The type is all well-placed, so nothing smashes together or gets lost due to size. It is also a nice touch to add that little "window" to show the contents of the package and also separate the story from the "legal information."

Adam Schlesinger interview

In 2007, Frank Goodman of the e-zine, Puremusic, conducted an interview with bassist and songwriter of Fountains of Wayne, Adam Schlesinger. While the interview was a nice read, similar positive remarks can't exactly be said about its cover art. It provides all the necessary information, but it is rather bothersome to look at. The first issue I have is with the leading. The 'F' and the 'W' in particular practically touch the letters above them to the point of almost blending in, but the fact that they just barely touch makes it all the more frustrating. The type also finds itself blending in with the similarly-colored press photo, but fortunately, these are all easily fixable issues.

It is a little late to really even be suggesting change (Puremusic has not updated in at least five years), and it hardly matters in relation to the reviews and interviews that make up the site, but it would make the e-zine look a little more appealing. If they had the time and the chance to go back (but who really does?), the cover art designers might want to consider adjusting the leading in the type and scaling the picture down a little to decrease the blending and tension effect, or at the very least, keep this in mind for future issues (should any more even come out).

Bite snack bar

The packaging for the Bite snack bar is very simple in appearance, but full of information on the front. The snack was created in Russia, so it makes sense that some of that information is Russian, in addition to what is primarily English that the makers were kind enough to include for any English-speaking consumers. The font is an interesting mix of type and a handwritten-looking script font. Also included is an image of half a banana with the product name inside, as well as images across the bottom that provide information that appeals to the health-conscious target audience. Overall, this is a nice design, although it does require some turning to read everything in the best manner. However, this is not too much of an issue because the logo is the only part that really needs to be seen from a distance, and the rest can be read properly if the consumer picks up the bar.

Smashing Pumpkins poster

This poster for a 1997 Smashing Pumpkins and Fountains of Wayne concert looks pretty cool at first, but then the colors start to cause a bit of eye strain. I do like how the text is formed around the image, although with the lines running behind everything, it makes it a little difficult to read the thinner letters. The poster also consist primarily of purple and a greenish yellow, which causes a sort of vibration effect that again makes it a little harder to read everything that is not "Smashing Pumpkins." It would have been good to use a different color that goes good with purple or with the greenish yellow that wouldn't cause that vibrating effect and would then make it easier to read the text over it.

Saint Louis International Film Festival 2012

The illustration on this poster for the 21st Annual Whitaker Saint Louis International Film Festival looks almost like an old-fashioned movie star with the giant glasses and scarf made out of film. The yellow-orange of the background flows right into the script-style text on the actress's head. The text has a kind of feeling of sophistication generally possessed by the type of people who attend film festivals. Some of the letters do not quite resemble what they should be, but this does not make it impossible to read, and it still works with appealing to its audience. The names at the top are presumably the locations in which the festival took place that year. The color of the font is good, and it fills in that space nicely without drawing attention away from the design. The poster also quite kindly provides a website at the bottom for more information.

The Rift

People who walk by a poster for the short film, "The Rift," might be pulled right in by the large title, the dirty off-white text certainly being a stand-out on the poster. This, of course, is a good thing because people should definitely notice what it is right away. They might also notice the "rift" created between the 'i' and the 'f', which really ties itself in with the title, and the font fits well with the sci-fi/thriller genre of the film. Adding "a film by Robert Kouba" on top of the title also helps balance it out, and it fills in some space that might seem off-putting otherwise.

Governors Ball 2013

This Governers Ball festival poster achieves a very cute, old-time Disney/Warner Bros.-style cartoon look in both the illustration and the bubble letters used in the larger font. With this cute style, however, like many festival posters, it seems, comes a decrease in readability, particularly in the names below the headliners that have been given very little room. The dates and location are also around the same size, and those are also important bits of information. Because of this, people would have to look very closely at the poster to really be able to read who is playing there, what days the festival is held, and where the festival is held. Granted, we are in the age of the Internet and can simply look these things up if necessary, it proves rather inconvenient and contrary to the overall purpose of a festival poster, even though many people probably only care about the headliners, anyway.

"Twenty-Five" - Rachel L. Hamm

It is pretty clear from the cover that Rachel L. Hamm's novel, "Twenty-Five," is a romance story. Even the script font of the title and the main characters' names on the back brings to mind someone writing or signing a love letter with that personal and almost-fancy appearance that script fonts and cursive handwriting provide. I think the placement of the title and author's name is fine in respect to  the illustration, but I wish there was something occupying that negative space. I like that the lines up top become less opaque on the spine because otherwise, with the title up there, it would be a real mess.

I like the idea of making the main characters' names stand out in the synopsis with script font, but I don't think it would be any worse off if that had not been done. I am also not sure why there is an invisible box that the synopsis wraps around at the bottom. I am assuming it is making room for a bar code, but of course, there is nothing there, so it just looks like unnecessary planning.

"The Mayor's Tongue" - Nathaniel Rich

This cover for "The Mayor's Tongue" by Nathaniel Rich is very interesting. It almost seems like it should be confusing to read with the letters kind of all over the place, and for a split second, that is the case, but then the brain adjusts to the positioning of the letters. In terms of design efficiency, maybe this is not the best idea. For example, it might look less confusing in that split second if the 'r' and the apostrophe were switched. But then, maybe it is best to keep it that way because it draws interest and catches the eye with its design. I just think it would be better if it looked less cramped.

Mullum 2011

The illustration and the text are mainly working side-by-side in this poster for the Mullum music festival in Australia. This is good in that neither one interrupts the other, which would have rendered the text potentially unreadable, although it almost makes them seem unrelated by creating an invisible wall between the two sides. It is a nice touch to add abbreviations of the countries to the artists that are presumably just the ones not native to Australia. The names go down in size gradually, which suggests that the Dynamites with Charles Walker are the headliners. It provides dates within the sun illustration, which is an interesting, eye-catching place to put them. Contact information is also provided, though the phone number is a little harder to read.

"Scarred But Smarter: Life n Times of Drivin n Cryin"

The DVD cover for the Drivin' n' Cryin' documentary, "Scarred But Smarter," is pretty well designed. The title is place up top where it stands out and is most fitting in relation to the overall design. Due most likely to the drop shadow, the red of the subtitle manages to stand out even over the red in the photo. The bottom text lists the "stars" and the director. My issue with this section is the lack of a comma following 'DNC'. It really bugs me that the designer clearly forgot the comma and it reads "DNC Peter Buck," as though "DNC Peter Buck" is one entity. I also do not really like where "An EVH Pic" is. It is too small and perfectly centered and it just does not look like it belongs there at all. Maybe fitting that somewhere on the back or the spine would have looked better.

The back features a synopsis below several pictures of the band. The font all fits in well enough with the design and nothing seems out of place. I think the back cover worked out almost perfectly.

Kids Food Fest poster

This flyer for a kids food festival is fitting for what it is. It is colorful, which makes it seem more kid-friendly. Nothing seems too out-of-place and it provides a lot of necessary information, including the dates, time, location, and website for more information. It even provides a little information about tickets on a ticket stub that smartly runs off the page rather than hanging very close to the edge.

Sweetlife 2015

This is a good example of a festival poster that does not provide more design than necessary. It has a simple illustration, the festival name is up top and is the first bit of information to be read, followed by the dates and the location. Below that is the list of artists performing at the festival, all ordered, most likely, by significance in regards to the festival. My only issue here is that there is no indication of who the headliners are. On the website (which is provided at the bottom; also a good thing to have on festival posters in this day and age), Calvin Harris and Kendrick Lamar are in black while the rest of the artists are in gray, so something like that or a larger font size to separate them from the supporters would be good to have. The good thing about having less than 30 artists here, however, is that nothing becomes unreadable on this poster. One thing I might add, though, as it would be useful to festival-goers, is the time that the festival starts.

"Still Rockin' around the Clock" - Marshall Lytle

This cover for former Bill Haley backing band bassist Marshall Lytle's memoir almost looks like a joke cover, like something that is not an official release, but rather something someone made for fun. This isn't necessarily a bad thing if that were the case, but it hardly looks professional. The title uses three different fonts that make it look fun, sure, but also rather silly. Then there is the clip-art-like explosion behind Lytle and a flame-like frame around a black-and-white photo of Bill Haley and His Comets, both of which seem unnecessary or could have been used differently. The use of a Sans Serif font almost like Comic Sans also rubs me the wrong way here. The whole cover looks like something a ska band would use on an album cover to show that they are fun and silly as all modern ska bands should be.

On the back cover, the synopsis is centered the entire way down. It would be better if it was lined up to the left, but I suppose it fits in with the already campy cover.

Fremantle Street Arts Festival Poster

This poster for the Fremantle Street Arts Festival in Australia has an interesting illustration that might make people want to check out the festival, but it does not provide much information. It simply provides a names and a date, and they certainly are important, and the placement of the text is pretty interesting in relation to the design. However, it does not provide any additional information people might like to know, like, for example, any sort of contact information. Adding a website, at least, would be pretty logical as a way to suggest visiting for more information about the festival in question. They are simply left with the hope that people are curious enough to attend the festival regardless.

"The Varieties of Scientific Experience" - Carl Sagan

The cover for Carl Sagan's book "The Varieties of Scientific Experience" looks fitting for the type of subject matter he is (was) best at discussing. Typically, the white font would stand out in front of a black background, and it does in parts, but at times, it almost seems to hang back with the background. I think if the font were a little bolder, it would stand out a little more. It would also be good to adjust the positioning of the title so it does not fade into the white light in the background. Moving the text just slightly to the right would also keep it from looking like it is about to fall off the page.

"Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?" - Lorrie Moore

The cover for Lorrie Moore's novel "Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?" is basically everything I just said. It is simply a white background with the title and the author's name (and "a novel by" in between). There is nothing at all interesting about the design, although it does do a good job of making me wonder exactly what this book is about. There is probably a better cover for a different edition of this book, but in this case, this is all there is. It is, however, easy to read and nothing really bugs me about the font used or where it all lines up. So this is not a bad cover; it's just a little boring.

Jimi Hendrix, etc. poster

This poster for what seems like a Jimi Hendrix Experience headlining concert, although there is only a photo of Strawberry Alarm Clock in the middle, again uses that typical psychedelic '60s font. The entire poster has so much going on that it is very difficult to read. Some of these words don't even look like actual words and the poster is just very confusing and there is no clarification at all regarding who the headliner was. I guess this all wouldn't really have mattered to anyone who would have seen that this show was only $2 in advance, anyway.

Janis Joplin poster

This Janis Joplin poster, like many concert posters from/inspired by this time period, uses a "psychedelic" font because that seemed to be the trend of the '60s. Unfortunately, like everything else that employs this type of font, it is hard to read right away and often requires using context clues to figure out what each letter is. Some of these letters look like other letters, and in fact, the 'i's and 'y's share the same character as the '1's and '4's with this font. The monochrome is a little boring, too, but at least nothing blends in with anything else.

James Brown concert poster

This is a James Brown concert poster made almost entirely out of text. I am assuming all of the text is not actually "important," and all of the necessary information is in the bottom left corner. Otherwise, there would be a lot of head-turning and squinting to figure what it says. The design is very good in that it's pretty easy to tell that the image that the text creates is James Brown, and it was a good idea to make his name yellow so it would stand out more for anyone who doesn't immediately get it, though it is awfully small compared to the design of his face. If it says where the concert was held, it is not at all apparent, unfortunately. The date and time are also a little hard to read at first. It seems that, overall, efficiency was sacrificed for style in this poster.

"Winger" - Andrew Smith

It is my understanding that on the hardcover copy of Andrew Smith's "Winger," the title is embossed and, therefore, stands out a little more, but in this case (and likely on the paperback edition), the color choice is not the best. The white letters stand out over the boy's face, but when it goes over the sky, which fades into white, it blends in and becomes difficult to read. The same can be said about the author's name, except in this case, it's more readable on the sky and a little less readable on the face. I like the cover photo and the placement of the text, so the only thing I would really want to change is the color of the text. "Winger" could use a different, darker color, like black, perhaps, and the author's name might be good with a gray or a purple or something that won't blend in as much with the face.

"Tomorrow May Be Too Late" - Thomas Marino

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This cover for Thomas Marino's memoir "Tomorrow May Be Too Late" could have been better. I like the font chosen for the title, but either the text or the image needs to be darker because parts of the white text blend in with the highlights on the body. Also, "a love story" starts to blend in with the shadows, so maybe a different font color would be better there. I am also not particularly a fan of the white box across the bottom with the author's name, but at least it's more easily readable than the rest of the cover.

The back cover does not really share the cover's issue, although the heart dripping over a part of text is not really necessary. The spine of the book is actually more interesting than the cover and I don't really have any issues with it.

Sasquatch 2010

This poster for the 2010 Sasquatch festival has a cute, colorful design, likely to show festival-goers that they will be happy and have a good time. It is clear right away what and when this festival is, but inexplicably, the very reason people go to these events is the least readable part of the entire poster. I certainly would have been excited to see that Pavement, Drive-by Truckers, and Jets Overhead were at this festival (if I were in Washington around Memorial Day weekend in 2010), but this poster would not have been my best source of this information if I did not want to stand right in front of it for five minutes. Even the "Esurance presents" at the top is bigger and more readable than all of the artists at the bottom, as if to suggest that some insurance company, regardless of its sponsorship, is more important than the artists for which people would attend this festival. It's almost like "Sasquatch!" was a ton of bricks and all the performers' names were a giant cake just minding its own business when "Sasquatch!" just came out of nowhere and squished them into the shape of a really thick pancake.

As much as I like the illustration, I think it should be adjusted to give the artists' names some more room so people can read them, and something should be done to make it clear who the headliners are. A larger font size or a different color would work to differentiate them from the supporting acts. Maybe making the festival name just a little smaller while adjusting the tracking a little so it still lines up with everything else would also be useful here.

"Where'd You Go, Bernadette" - Maria Semple

Maria Semple's "Where'd You Go, Bernadette" is one of many books released with different covers as they may appeal to the target audience in both the U.S. and the U.K.. The cover on the left is the U.S. release and the one on the right is the U.K. release. Both covers were clearly going for the same idea, and I like and dislike both for different reasons. In the U.S. release, the font is bolder and easier to read, but I do not like the separation between "Where'd You Go," and "Bernadette." It makes it seem as though "Bernadette" is the name of the author (a pseudonym, perhaps) and is not related to the title in any way.

On the U.K. version, the title is closer together, so it is clear that "Where'd You Go," and "Bernadette" are related. The cover also uses that handwritten-looking font that is often used on album covers and indie movie posters to appeal to young hipsters who yearn for an Instagram-filtered summer to spend outdoors with their other young hipster friends, which is not necessarily terrible. However, the text is awfully close to the edge, as in it is actually touching it. The font size should be adjusted a little so it does not run off the cover. At least it's clear who the author is this time.

Cloverfield

The poster for the film "Cloverfield" uses an interesting, albeit rather monochromatic, image that might draw curiosity in regards to exactly happens within the film. It also uses fairly appropriate fonts for the kind of audience it wants to appeal to. However, although it is fairly large, I do find it odd that the tagline is clearly larger than the title of the film. It seems like it would make more sense if "Cloverfield" was larger than "some thing has found us." Of course, "Cloverfield" still does stand out more than that tagline because it employs brighter colors that are more visible on top of the background, and it is probably the designer's intention to make the viewer see the tagline first, but its larger font size makes it seem as though it is more important than the title of the film itself when it should most likely be the other way around.

The Lawnmowers - "Fearless"

I should make it clear first that this is not a review about the music within this album, but rather its album artwork (which is not a reflection on the musical content, anyway). The first noticeable thing is the photo of a rabbit, which glows to the point of looking rather blurry and overall like a picture anyone could have taken (well, anyone who does not scare away the rabbit). Then the photo is topped off with the band's name in a very boring Century Gothic font. Maybe boring is too harsh a word, but I can definitely say that this font does not belong here. Also of note is that the album title, "Fearless," is missing from the cover, but perhaps it is for the best. It probably would not have helped design-wise, although this does mean there is some missing information on the cover.

Maybe the album art would have been better off if the band name was also missing (both the band name and the album title appear on the spine, anyway). It would not really change the fact the photo is not particularly pleasing to the eye, but it would help prevent the cover from being worse off in the way of its design.

Rain Dragon

This book cover is very calm-looking, and I like the hand-drawn/hand-written style it possesses. The placement of the text in relation to the design works well, and there is nothing obvious that I have an issue with. Nothing is too close to the edges and the text works around any of the illustration that might prevent readability by either making room for it or using a different color. There is not really any important information being sacrificed for design, and it would definitely be easier to read the synopsis on the back if I were looking at the book in person rather than online.

Treefort 2013

This piece is a poster for the Treefort Music Festival in 2013. The design itself is nice and simple and does not interfere with the type and, as festival line-ups always should, it provides hierarchical information regarding the dates, place, contact information, and of course, the performers - the headliners have the largest font size and are placed at the top while the font size gets gradually smaller as the list goes down and the artists become less "important." It is unfortunate, however, that it does just that; it makes the lesser-known artists seem unimportant. As they go further down the list, people will likely stop trying to figure out what the names are if they come across another poster like this. It probably would have been better to just say something like, "Visit our website to see the full line-up," because Treefort has huge line-ups every year. Obviously, they cannot fit it all on one poster, and they are clearly aware of that because at the end of the line-up on the poster, they add "and many more." If they had included significantly fewer artists on the poster and raised the font size a little, at the very least, they could have benefited from better readability and a little more interest in those lesser-known artists found both on the poster and on the website.