2013 Summer Author Blitz: Interview With Hafsah of Icey Designs

Hi friends! I hope you're having a wonderful summer!

We're continuing the 2013 Summer Blitz hosted by Belle Whittington and Tabatha Perry, who've come up with all sorts of fun things for the entire July. If you missed some of the fun, don't worry, you can catch up if you check out the full schedule HERE.

For my spot on the blitz I got to interview a wonderfully talented designer *happy dance* whose works (blogs and websites, Twitter backgrounds, book covers etc.) you've surely noticed around the blogosphere. She answered a few questions about the creative process and her own pet peeves, and also offered some goodies for you.

Say hi to Hafsah!

• What is the first step when you agree to design a blog/ twitter background/ cover?

I usually consult with the client before agreeing to anything. I ask them for details pertaining to the overall look, colors, and in the case of book covers, emotions, characters, and settings. Then I read through the provided information and getting started. I love opening up a blank canvas on Photoshop or Illustrator - there are so many possibilities!

• Is there a design that you're particularly proud of? Or one that's been especially challenging?

When a design is challenging, I end up loving it even more. Heidi Sinnett wanted a design with a chalkboard feel to it, something I had been wanting to do for the longest time. It was most definitely a challenge - illustrating the banners and giving them that chalkboard look. But like I said, I had wanted to design a site like that for a long time, so it was fun, and in the end, very self-satisfying. 

• In your opinion, what makes a great design? What do you like to see in other designers' works?

For me, a great design is defined by easiness. No matter how beautiful a design may be, it needs to be easy to navigate and easy to look at. Even if your background is black and your text is white, there's a way to keep it clean and easy to look at. In designs other than my own, I love to see the same thing - clean, beautiful, and easy to navigate. 

• Do you have some design-pet-peeves (arrangement of elements, colors, fonts etc...)?

I have many pet-peeves. Being a designer, I look at everything a different way - magazine ads, online ads, websites, book covers. Subconsciously, my mind will move things around and switch fonts without me even realizing it. There are certain shades of colors that I'd never use, though I'd use one very close. There are several fonts I'd never use, and some that I've seen around that have made me cringe, but the worst font in the history of fonts would be Comic Sans. Another pet peeve: visiting a blog/website for the first time and not knowing where to look - this especially happens when the background is more catching than the content, it makes my eyes cross. You don't want that!

Thanks for having me, Ivana! It was fun :)

Check out Hafsah's website, and see for yourself how great her designs are :) 

Hafsah has offered to give away a Twitter background design worth $30 to one person. Follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter for your chance to win.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

But wait! That's not all!
Now we're sending you on a hunt for a clue hidden in one of my blog's pages. When you find it, got to Exit Ramps and enter the giveaway for a unique bookish necklace. Isn't it lovely?!

Cover Artist Interview: B Design

This feature is becoming more and more fun. I found many awesome cover designers lately and it's a pleasure to welcome such talented people on WTSL. My first two guests were Ravven and Once Upon A Time Covers, and my guest today is Allison from B Design!

When did you start designing book covers?
I've been a Graphic Designer for a few years now, but when I decided to self publish my debut novel, I wanted to try the cover myself. I showed it to a few writer friends who thought it was pretty good and I went on with my life. Then after a while I noticed I was getting asked to help out on covers a lot and realized I had a lot of fun doing it! So I began to build a portfolio and here I am!

 

Do authors usually have a clear vision of what they want the cover to look like? Is it sometimes difficult to meet a customer's expectation?
I'd say it's pretty split down the middle. Some know exactly what they want and others have no clue until I show them something and that usually sparks some creativity. It's always difficult to meet expectation for book covers because as an author myself, I am not sure how I would be handing over the thing I've poured my heart and soul into for the last however many months/years to a stranger just based on some pictures I saw. BUT I've yet to see a disappointed client.

Can you describe the process? What programs do you use, where do you start first, how long does it take in average...
I am very hands on with the author. I don't feel it's really about me or my style (there are things I can't do or am not comfortable doing, but mostly it's about the story). I use Photoshop to create all my covers. The first step is to have an in depth conversation with the author about the story, the feel and the expectations. Being upfront is always best. After that I usually take what they asked me to do and do something radical that probably makes them wonder why they chose me... but I like to push boundaries right off the bat just to see what my limitations will be. Sometimes a client will be closed in or conservative about their requests because they don't know what else to ask for. After that it's a lot of back and forth about image and font. Boring really, to anyone outside the process. I book a week and I take a very limited amount of clients because I like to be able to focus and do the best I can.

I know this is like asking a mother which one of her children she loves most, but is there a cover that you're particularly proud of? Or one that's been especially challenging to make?
There is a cover being revealed mid/end of February that is probably the best cover I've done all around. I love all the stories I get to work with but this particular cover is dark, edgy, beautiful, frightening... it really tested my skill as a designer and it's very different than what I'm used to doing. I just love it.

Do you think there are some "trends" for book covers? 

Yes, the trend now is abs and make out sessions... not that I'm complaining  Eyes will always be in for book covers, I'm fairly certain of that. I do remember the girls in ball gown phase and something I am noticing now is cover models that look directly at the reader. I mostly work with YA/NA authors so my interpretations come from there. I also don't follow trends, I will do whatever I think is necessary to best capture the story.

In your opinion, what makes a great and eye catching cover? What do you like to see on other designers' covers?
With the rise of self publishing, covers have to be eye-catching at thumbnail size so in my opinion contrast is the major seller. I think that could be why closeups are becoming more prevalent, too. It needs to be seen at a small size.

I like images that tell a story. I like background and striking visuals. My favourite cover designer by far is Sarah from Okay Creations. If I didn't do my own covers I would 100% go to her. I love how she edits images, how she can put emotion into it with just a little colour change or hazy filter or the right combination of fonts.

Cover Artist Interview: Once Upon A Time Covers

I enjoyed having Ravven for an interview last week and I though it would be fun to invite some more cover artists to share their wisdom and experience. Today I'm welcoming Once Upon A Time Covers!

 

Interview with a cover artist-Ravven

I love doing author interviews, but today we have something different-an interview with a cover artist!

Admit it, if you're like me, sometimes the cover is the sole reason for putting a book on your wishlist. I knew I wanted to do this interview with Ravven as soon as I found out that she created the covers for two novellas that I read last month-Rainbird and Mourning Cloak by Rabia Gale (I actually have a girl crush on both Ravven and Rabia, both extremely talented and spoiling this fantasy fan rotten.)

Welcome to Willing to See Less, Ravven!

When did you start designing book covers?

I'd always wanted to design book covers, but my career had mainly been in web design/development  and project managing ecommerce and social media sites. It was challenging and rewarding in many ways, but not what I dreamed of doing - however, it was too well paid to just give it up! Several years ago I began doing book covers as a portfolio-building exercise, more for myself than anything else. I set a challenge to create one cover a day for thirty days, which was a lot of fun. After a parting of ways with the digital media company that I was working I decided to go freelance.

Taking the leap into freelancing is a very terrifying thing for anyone, even those with money saved up (which I hadn't, unfortunately). I sent out about a million emails to small publishers, tried to get my art out there, and in the end we managed to not lose the house - always a good thing! I worked with several smaller publishers, a lot of wonderful self-published authors and the business just grew. There were a lot of people who really helped me out, such as Tanya Anne Crosby, a wonderful author who allowed me to work with her on a number of covers for her backlist. I'll always be so grateful for all the help I received.

   

Do authors usually have a clear vision of what they want the cover to look like? Is it sometimes difficult to meet a customer's expectation?

Usually they do, and that forms your starting point. That vision may change and evolve as we work, but it helps to start out with a clear idea of what the book is about, who the characters are, and what
themes the cover needs to convey. I have a small questionnaire that I use to help me get the best idea possible of what the author wants in the final work. That said, if the original idea is too literal, it can
be a problem, and I prefer working from the position of "how the book feels" (theme) rather than illustrating a plot point.

The only time it may be difficult to meet a customer's expectation is when the medium isn't right - I work with stock photography as a base, and very specific images can be impossible. I usually recommend hiring an illustrator for these images. Hiring models and doing your own shoot would be the ideal way of handling very specific expectations, but that is generally too expensive an option for indie authors or small presses.

 

Can you describe the process? What programs do you use, where do you start first, how long does it take in average...

As above, I usually start with the images. Most of the books I do feature a character, so that means hours and hours of looking at stock. I work quite quickly, but the inital phase of finding the right
model is very time-consuming. Looking at hundreds of photos of beautiful men or women should be fun, right? No, no...looking at stock can be soul-destroying. :) You can spend most of a day looking through many hundreds of images and THEY WILL ALL BE WRONG.

Once I find the stock that I want to use, I begin creating the initial mockups. I usually work on the large-size file that I'll be using as a final image, so I can create backgrounds that I'll be using for the final image. Initial mockups are quite rough, with watermarked stock and very little painting. I usually tell people to try to think of them as sketches or storyboards rather than final images. I work in Photoshop, and once I begin the final image I'll be painting with a Wacom tablet. The image is comprised of tons of textures and photos all composited together and then painted to blend and add detail. When we have a final image that we're both happy with I'll do another round of mockups with different fonts and text treatments for the author to chose from. That's the basic process, and depending on what snags we hit a cover can take a few days to a week - it all depends.

I know this is like asking a mother which one of her children she loves most, but is there a cover that you're particularly proud of? Or one that's been especially challenging to make?

They're all my favourites! One of the recent ones was the cover for Daisy Madigan's Paradise by Suzy Turner. Sometimes when you submit early mockups to an author there is one that you are in love with. If the author is all "meh" about that one it hurts because that was your baby. So when Suzy chose the image that finally became the cover I was all "Yes! That's MY girl!" The romance covers for Tanya Anne Crosby are some of my other favourites, as well as the Born In Flames cover for Candace Knoebel, which has gotten a lot of attention.

 

Do you think there are some "trends" for book covers? (I remember seeing a lot of girls in ballroom dresses last year. Or eyes, lots of eyes...)

God, yes - girls in pretty dresses, drowning girls, Big Faces. All very over-used trends (although I do have some favourites that transcend those trends - just because it's a "girl in a pretty dress" cover doesn't mean that it can't be unique and stunning).

In your opinion, what makes a great and eye catching cover? What do you like to see on other designers' covers?

I think that good covers need certain basic things: type that stands out which is readable at a small size; a strong image with good use of shadow and light; good overall balance so that all of the individual
elements stand out without anything getting lost or fighting each other for dominance. I really admire designers who do unique things with type as that isn't one of my strong points: the cover for Broken
by A. E. Rought would be a good example of this, as is NOS 4R2 by Joe Hill.

 

 

Many, many thanks for being my guest today, Ravven!

To find out more about Ravven, visit her website, check out her deviantART site, like her Facebook page, or say hi on Twitter!