The book is getting close to going to the printer. I am sending a draft to “the person” who will write the forword, and my graphics artist shot me three book cover ideas.
I would love your feedback on these three covers. Will you please tell me which of the three you love, which you love the least, and WHY? Thank you!
Idea A: Lightbulb Head
Idea B: Triangle Head
Idea C: Elephant on Tightrope
Please leave a comment of email me (Jason@JibberJobber.com) what you think. Again, I’d love to know your favorite, least favorite, and WHY.
I think the second cover conveys the ideas the best. The first one is good, too, if you can make the title pop more. The third one doesn’t say anything to me in terms of what the book is about.
Idea B
Jason,
I like the elephant a lot. Having recently gone through this myself (In Search of the Fun-Forever Job: Career Strategies That Work), I get the agony in this decision – and also love that you’re using it as promotion. Smart. The elephant is good because it’s attention-getting – and it’s funny. I like the second the least (but don’t dislike), mainly because one might have to think too hard about what it’s saying.
Good luck!
I don’t like any of them much.
But Number one is out for sure.
I like Number Two best.
But Number 3 is the most eye-grabbing because of the big blue sky.
I like the third one the best. it really conveys the message of “alternative” the other ones just represent “myriads of choices” to me.
Not sure what the book is about, but if it’s really about “alternatives” than the elephant is most suited 🙂
Lightbulb head just the way it is. Nice design work.
#2! This book cover portrays exactly how my clients feel when they contact me! It’s perfect!
The second cover would be the one I would choose. I think it best illustrates all the information that goes into our minds when making decisions based on a multitude of ideas.
Pulls you in—makes you think more than the others—lightbulbs are associated with genius
I like the second cover the best as it is less chaotic than the first cover and I’m attracted to the funnel concept.
The third cover is my least favorite because it is stress provoking to me and all I seem to be able to focus on is the fact that the guy is sticking his umbrella point into the poor elephant.
And, though I realize you’re not asking for this element of feedback; have you considered putting quotation marks around “Real” in the title. I always laugh when people use the term “real” job.
I really like the third one as it is eye catching and would leap out on a shelf. #1 is OK. #2 is boring. Hope that helps.
First one is my favorite, but I agree with Kim about the title. Put it at the top..?
Second has too many $ signs, looks get-rich-quicky
Third is a little too “Life of Pi”
Hi Jason,
I vote for the elephant, hands down! It’s clean, crisp and hilarious. Definitely an eye-catcher. The first design looks a bit scruffy and the second one too busy and fuzzy. One comment re all three: from my woman’s POV, I’d say the appeal is much more slanted toward a male audience rather than female or cross-over? Is that what you want? How about having a man and a woman on the elephant – both dressed in casual yet professional clothes so they look like equals. Or make them both circus performers – that would be very alternative. LOL. Good luck!
I like the 1st cover, it got me thinking. The third one makes no sense. 2nd one is too ethereal
First one is best – at first I thought it was too busy, but compared to other 2 choices – like the white space, young or college student body, graphic novel/scribe pic. Its young, hip, happening and mostly accessible and inviting. Perhaps change the background graphic to less busy but still address lots of options in drawn form.
I like the 3rd one the best. The elephant is eye-grabbing and it puts the person out on a limb and thinking about what to do next. The one I like the least is number one as it all blends together and nothing “pops” out at you.
Number 1 is my favorite, here’s why:
1. the picture in one word is “ideas”, which is exactly what you need to have as an alternative to a job
2. the cover is black/white pencil, which sort of makes it look like a work in progress, more than a doodle on a napkin, but less then a solid business plan
3. the guy on the cover is wearing a non-traditional suit, which is what you want with alternatives to a job
4. the lightbulb – a perfect metaphor for good ideas, universally understood
5. the second idea is shit – a guy with
suitcases with dollar signs on it, that just makes me think about a regular job, not an alternative
6. the third idea is shit – it looks like a holiday book, John Grisham’s first novel on lawyers in Africa
If you choose the idea based on my arguments, you have to mention me in a footnote or something
“51 alternatives to a real job”
Number 1 projects the content of the book nicelby. Guy is wearing a cooler suit than just lack tie and white shirt(like in num 2 and 3)I like that it rings with the “alternative” part of the book. BUT the messy scribbling around the picture makes the idea seem so complicated.
Don’t like number 2. Number 3 is attention grabbing.
I enjoy the first cover, since it conveys the sense of alternatives to real jobs the best the lightbulb and all the idea scribble. The elephant cover is least loved as it has indirect connotation
Jason, I have to ask you first who your target audience is for the book. Assuming that I might be included in that target, I prefer the second, echoing what Kimberly above says. The elephant is troublesome, because in my mind, at least, it conjures up the old adage of “elephant in the room” and many might have different interpretations of what elephants stand for or signify. Your first cover is too casual or edgy, but again, if you’re targeting Gen Y or Millenials, that might be okay. Great idea to research first and solicit free advice – I like it! Best wishes on your book.
I’d go with B. The first one is too cluttered. It gives me a feeling of being unorganized. The one with the elephant does not convey what the book is about and/or what an elephant has to do with career decision-making.
I like #3, the analogy of the elephant walking the tightope shows nothing is impossible! the color and the image is striking.
none of the above
What are you trying to say? Lots of ideas absorbed? To what end? Elephant on a tightrope….indicates risk in my mind. What about “outside of the box”thinking? Or perhaps, “breaking chains of conformity”? Your book to me demonstrates how someone can take their skills and create their own perfect career without letting an organization control the future. Stepping through a door seems like a useful metaphor or climbing a ladder.
An elephant? I don’t get it.
I like #2, but as someone else mentioned, I was immediately struck by the fact that all three covers seem to say that the book is targeted to professional white guys. If that’s your audience, then fine, but if you want to appeal to a broader audience, then take off the tie from #2.
I would pick the 3rd one if you got rid of the umbrella poking the elephants back 🙂 The 2nd one would be next, maybe with some better eye catching color – looks a little dull. I definitely don’t like the lightbulb head. It looks freaky to me! Could be better with a real head and lightbulb over it or something, but I also think that the scribbles around him are too busy.
I like #3 because it is engaging, outrageous and encourages out-of-the box/there is no box thinking which is sorely needed these days. Love it!
Option A is more appealing to the eye.
The elephant for sure!!!
It is the most eye-catching. If I was surfing through titles, the first would be to busy looking to catch me, the second too boring.
somebody rightly said none of these look appealing!
1. Bulb is old concept to show ideas/innovation and why to show thoughts is our heads as scribbled garbage, they could be organized but still not clear.
2. A variant of first one but triangle has nothing to do with 51. If Its about alternatives, you wouldn’t want funneling down, rather understanding all of them to the best.
3. Third one is actually appealing in the terms showing balance/attention you need to maintain to pursue to goal although you many multiple option, and man on the top standing in calm and command is good pose. But in that case, would you consider changing the book title itself ? 51 ways, 101 ways etc isn’t catching anymore. Why not let readers realize, ‘what you think is best, but which one it would be ? ‘
Apologies, if my comments are tangential!
Thanks,
Jason, i vote for option # 1.
Apart from what Kuba has already mentioned, I would recommend a contrast colour (olive green, turquoise blue or red) for the tie. Contrast colour would de-clutter the shades of black and grey around the young job seeker.
It’s okay if you implement my suggestion and don’t give me credit in a footnote or something 🙂
Good luck!
I think the third one with the elephant looks attractive and its attention catcher. If I am looking for a job, and i see the 3rd cover, I would really be curious to read it. It signifies something logical.
Hi!
Without knowing too much of your books content (although I like the main idea) I feel that no 1 & 2 are really 1980’s, but number three made me stop and think – and that’s what you want: Get people’s attention to find out more about the job. There might be some symbolism too, f.i. the person (you/the reader) and the relation to the mastodont (elephant), maybe even other things can be read out of the picture too.
Good luck, Jan
I feel the way the people think about job as a opportunity or fears from it or if it seeks some idea…..That will be the way people will respond u….so it is better u decide and not to ask people, because by that u will get all mixed solutions….U have written the book so u should decide on the cover page as well………Because the cover page should relate the content …..and u know the content so u shud decide on cover page….As far i m concern i liked Number 3….
Number one is two much crowded and it makes my mind goes to the graphical design and try to figure out what this book wants to say without much help so I guess I I saw the first cover I’d mov e to another book immediately
Number two is also crowded but it gives an impression that those ideas are from the person himself. Nevertheless it doesn’t tell much about the book.
The third one is kind of open and innovative however it would be better if the umbrella is open above you head nad if the elephant can be less sad. I liked it.
Hi Jason, It depends on your target demographic. The first graphic blends left-brain logic and right-brain creativity. There is a fluidity suggestive of the start-up process. But it is awfully busy. The second screams Industrial Age Corporate America with Monopoly-like symbols for money and power (gavel), cold brick & mortar structures, and even farm silos metaphorically suggestive of organizational silos. The triangle is a power symbol, but it is inverted. This one makes me cringe.
The third graphic will resonate more with the cultural creatives who color way outside the lines. I agree with the comment about the umbrella sticking into the elephant, and I did notice all three had men in them. I like #3 the best but I would try to make the person on top appear more like an entrepreneur in an age of passion and meaning and less like a banker in Mary Poppins.
On first sight I liked the second one, because I don’t understand the point of a strange man standing on an elephant.
But the idea of a person standing on an elephant is cool – so the third one wins! 🙂 It’s cool. But do change the man – maybe have a graphic person.
Absolutely love option 3, like option 1; would walk right by option 2.
I love 3 because if I were to walk by a newsstand I would take two steps back to see why there is an ‘elephant in the room’; additionally, it pops, the colors are refreshing and light-hearted and give me a since of encouragement. The cover speaks positive … A light at the end if the tunnel .. A pathway to happiness.
Option 2 is realistic; this is what people do in these situations and if they are not mind mapping and putting l of these plans into motion to see which one works then there is 1/2 there problem… I get the cover and its appropriate… It just doesn’t create as bright of an outlook as option 3 does.
As for option 2; its depressing- the colors are all wrong and the thoughts captured in this triangles funnel… No good ; the sky should be the limit in the approach and search… Don’t like this one … It’s close minded.
Okay; best if luck to you. Smart to ask on LinkedIn … Gets the word out sooner than later that you’ve got something on the way. Bravo to you!
Oops the 2nd paragraph should say ‘As for option 1’
Number 1 is cluttered and surrealistic – least favorite.
Number 3 does not tell a story, as Beatrice already noted.
Number 2 could be the best IF the icons are thoughtfully structured so as to tell the (real or fictional) story of a non-job-hunter: we need to be able to track his down-selection process as he culls through the options to what he truly values. At present it’s just random business/industry symbols — meaningless. You need to *structure* it so the crud (for this guy) is at the top (probably small icons), and the gems — family, purpose, life mission, whatever — are at the bottom (increasingly larger icons). As Jeff Rock notes, the symbol pool itself is problematic at points, so be careful in *which* you select, as well as how you organize them.
I like the third option. I think it represents what could be “an alternative to a real job”. You know, ‘elephant tight rope walker trainer.’ Although the other two covers are clever, I think they make the process look of finding an alternative job daunting because of all the symbols, letters and equations.
Greetings Jason, despite of fancy issues and other blaa blaa, cover number three is the winner. Energetic interesting and simple. Just three factors you need to make sales. If you want credentials for content, your target group is small and you can freely select from boring one and two. By the way number three is totally perfect!
Cheers
I think the cleanest and most meaningful cover is #3. They all have merit but I can’t help think “cool trick. How’d he do that?” with number 3. As mentioned before me – the blue sky affect has appeal for obvious reasons. the guy on top of the elephant looks ‘smug’ and pretty pleased with himself. And he wants to teach me! I’m in!
Though I should also comment I would have himn dressed in jeans and a blue blazer with shirt collar open. it’s a more relaxed confident look in my opinion AND not knowing the contents of the book BUT knowing Jason, I imagine not all of them are desk jobs!
I like #2
Best: Idea B, Triangle Head. Because it looks like ideas going into the mind or coming out of the mind. It works well with your book’s title.
Least favorite: Idea A, Light Bulb Head. Because it was disconcerting to see the headless man until the next nano second when I realized the head was a light bulb, and then the disconcerted feeling was already with me. It was an unpleasant jolt.
Btw, about Idea C, Elephant on a Tightrope… It’s a great image and because I love elephants (they’re my favorite animal), I’m tempted to pick it. But, I think the image is a bit too abstract, and, frankly, I don’t see what it has to do with your book’s title.
Excited for you, Jason!
Jason:
I’d go with number 2 (cover that is). Just because you’re writing about something other than a “real” job doesn’t mean the search doesn’t require professionalism and discipline.
Number 1 (cover that is), looks amateurish and unfocused.
Number 3 makes no sense at all: unless you are thinking about a mahout as a career field, sahib.
For me, the first two choices are very similar in that they emphasis that there is a lot of JUNK out there that we have to sift through in the decision-making process for a better future. But, sifting through JUNK is not enough. What matters is SUCCESS and being in CONTROL of the process rather than a victim.
For that reason, I like the third option. It’s an elephant that is walking the tightrope, not the man. It’s the man that STANDS on top of the elephant confident that he is in charge of the situation.
Seth Godin hit the nail on the head when he said some years ago that the “factory system” is dead. Today, anyone has the ability to be a linchpin and position themselves as indispensable to the marketplace. But, one must know HOW to make themselves indispensable. The man that stands atop that elephant that is walking a tightrope definitely sends a message of confidence. One cannot help but believe he knows his 51 alternatives. And, that is why he is so confident.
I looked at all three and made a decision before reading the comments. After reading the comments I still agree with my decision.
#1 works the best for me. As indicated the light bulb is a universal symbol and as a career consultant, people come in all the time wondering what to do so it’s a good graphic. Plus I like that the person isn’t a stuffy professional person
#2 don’t like it at all…very old fashioned and stuffy. I would never buy the book based on the cover.
#3 I think it’s an interesting cover, but as far as a brand, I’m not sure if people would really know what it means. I think if you want to appeal to the masses you need something that catches their attention and will complement/fit the message immediately.
Good luck!
The third One is catchy. I would definitely pick up the book and find out whats it about. 1 is boring. 2 is still better
The Elephant graphic is confusing and left me with a negative reaction. Instead of inspiring me it made me think that the possibility of achieving an alternative to a job might be as silly or improbable as an elephant on a tightrope. One and two are both strong however number one might appeal more to the Millennials/Recent Grads and might be the better choice if that is your target market.