Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!
***Late Edition***
This is my weekly feature
showcasing beautiful covers!
It also provides information,
if available, on their
very talented creators!
if available, on their
very talented creators!
This week, I'm comparing
two similar covers!
TheBridge
Karen Kingsbury
Hardcover, 272 pages
Howard Books
October 23 , 2014
Christian Fiction, Christmas Romance,
Contemporary Romance
two similar covers!
Karen Kingsbury
Hardcover, 272 pages
Howard Books
October 23 , 2014
Christian Fiction, Christmas Romance,
Contemporary Romance
Angels at the Table
(Angels Everywhere, Book 7)
Mass Market Paperback, 256 pages
Ballantine Books
October 22, 2013
Christian Fiction, Christmas Romance,
Contemporary Romance
My Thoughts About These Covers
These two covers are undeniably beautiful, each in its own way. However, if one compares them closely, one can see that the basic image is the same. We have the same green double doors (and what a GORGEOUS shade of green they are, too; I think it's called "Kelly Green"), the same brightly lit twin Christmas trees flanking steps leading to the doors, the same window space on each side of the doors. What makes these covers different is the very creative -- as well as brilliant -- digital manipulations of the basic image.
The cover of The Bridge clearly shows a bookstore, as we the viewers can see the shelves full of books through the windows on each side of the doors. The cover of Angels at the Table seems to display what could be a restaurant, all decked out for the holidays. It's not obvious what this venue is, though. We are unable to see clearly into the interior through those very same windows.
There are other, entirely fascinating, differences. There's a couple framed by the window inset on one of the doors, on the cover of The Bridge. The couple is obviously missing from the cover of Angels at the Table. Furthermore, the twin trees are more brightly and profusely lit on the second cover. Also, they are placed in some sort of vases. These vases are barely visible on the first cover; they are actually obscured. More differences: there's snow on the steps leading to the double doors, on the cover of Angels at the Table. There's no snow at all on the first cover, and you can't see the steps, as they, too, are obscured. Well, the first cover is much darker than the second one, overall. There's also a large awning above the double doors on the cover of the second book, while none at all on the first cover.
Yet another difference between the two covers is that the first one has strings of colored Christmas lights along the sides of the double doors, as well as around the title, The Bridge. These lights are not present on the second cover.
The author's name, on the first cover, appears at the bottom of the image, while, on the second cover, it appears at the top. The fonts used on both covers are very similar, except for the title of The Bridge, which uses a very elegant, script font.
One subtle difference is that the second cover has a "painterly feel" to it, while the first one is definitely a photograph. I think that "painterly feel" is most likely due to more digital manipulation, since the second cover uses the same basic image as the first.
There are other, more sublte differences between the two covers, but the ones I have mentioned are the most immediately noticeable ones.
These covers show what can be done with images if they are placed in the hands of highly talented, highly creative artists and designers!
The designer of the first cover is Jaime Putorti, who is the Design Director at Simon and Schuster. Although he's on LinkedIn, I was unable to access his complete profile. There's a Facebook page, but there are no posts on it.
As for the second book, I was completely unable to get any information about the cover designer, but perhaps it was Putorti himself, having digitally manipulated an image he had previously used on another cover.
If I am later on able to get more information about the designer(s) of these two covers, I will return and add it to this post. Meanwhile, all I can do is admire these two GORGEOUS covers that are so similar to each other, and yet, so different!
The cover of The Bridge clearly shows a bookstore, as we the viewers can see the shelves full of books through the windows on each side of the doors. The cover of Angels at the Table seems to display what could be a restaurant, all decked out for the holidays. It's not obvious what this venue is, though. We are unable to see clearly into the interior through those very same windows.
There are other, entirely fascinating, differences. There's a couple framed by the window inset on one of the doors, on the cover of The Bridge. The couple is obviously missing from the cover of Angels at the Table. Furthermore, the twin trees are more brightly and profusely lit on the second cover. Also, they are placed in some sort of vases. These vases are barely visible on the first cover; they are actually obscured. More differences: there's snow on the steps leading to the double doors, on the cover of Angels at the Table. There's no snow at all on the first cover, and you can't see the steps, as they, too, are obscured. Well, the first cover is much darker than the second one, overall. There's also a large awning above the double doors on the cover of the second book, while none at all on the first cover.
Yet another difference between the two covers is that the first one has strings of colored Christmas lights along the sides of the double doors, as well as around the title, The Bridge. These lights are not present on the second cover.
The author's name, on the first cover, appears at the bottom of the image, while, on the second cover, it appears at the top. The fonts used on both covers are very similar, except for the title of The Bridge, which uses a very elegant, script font.
One subtle difference is that the second cover has a "painterly feel" to it, while the first one is definitely a photograph. I think that "painterly feel" is most likely due to more digital manipulation, since the second cover uses the same basic image as the first.
There are other, more sublte differences between the two covers, but the ones I have mentioned are the most immediately noticeable ones.
These covers show what can be done with images if they are placed in the hands of highly talented, highly creative artists and designers!
The designer of the first cover is Jaime Putorti, who is the Design Director at Simon and Schuster. Although he's on LinkedIn, I was unable to access his complete profile. There's a Facebook page, but there are no posts on it.
As for the second book, I was completely unable to get any information about the cover designer, but perhaps it was Putorti himself, having digitally manipulated an image he had previously used on another cover.
If I am later on able to get more information about the designer(s) of these two covers, I will return and add it to this post. Meanwhile, all I can do is admire these two GORGEOUS covers that are so similar to each other, and yet, so different!
What do you think of
this week's covers?
Please leave a comment
and let me know!
this week's covers?
Please leave a comment
and let me know!
This is such an interesting comparison Maria. Obviously it is the similarities that link the two covers. As you say this illustrates how creative artists can start with the same basic idea or materials and turn them into great art that is unique. I think that this is true with other art forms too. There are so many great books and stories that are based on common stories that the author made their own. For instance, Shakespeare's History Plays were often based upon stories that had been retold many times.
ReplyDeleteHave a great Sunday!
Hi, Brian!
DeleteThanks for the compliment!! :)
I happened to come across these two covers by accident; i was looking through my list of Christmas romances on Goodreads, and realized that I had both of these books on it. The similarity struck me at once, although it was also obvious to me that there were quite a few differences between these two covers, as well.
I think it's nothing short of AMAZING what a highly talented, creative artist can do with an image that has been used elsewhere. Such an artist can totally transform the original image!
When I began to create this post, I assumed that the image as it appears on the cover of "The Bridge" was the original one. Then, when I took a look at the publication dates, it turned out that "Angels at the Table" was published first! But this image looks like a LOT of work has been done on it, which is ironic. So now I've come up with a little theory. BOTH of these covers are alterations of ANOTHER image, which is the original one. What I think happened was that each image came about from alterations of this original image, which, of course, I've never seen (at least, not so far). The image for "The Bridge" was allowed to retain more of the photographic quality of the original image, while the second one was altered to a greater degree, with the intention of achieving that "painterly effect" I mentioned in this post. Interesting, right? :)
As for artists continually reworking the work of other artists, this has been going on throughout the centuries, and yes, it happens with writers, as well. You've made a great point about Shakespeare reworking stories known and retold for years. This is also true of our times. There are quite a few retellings in the book world, whether of fairy tales or classics. My favorite classic, "Jane Eyre", has had its share of these. So has "Pride and Prejudice". And, in the YA genre, fairy tale retellings are quite numerous.
I think that we humans need to do this type of thing, if we're artists, or to buy the work of those creative individuals who have done, and continue to do, this type of thing. I think we thereby make these works our own in some way. The human psyche is SO fascinating!!
Thanks for the insightful, thought-provoking comment!! Hope you have a great week!! <3 :)