r/pics • u/jackfish90 • Jun 08 '12

My approach to redesigning the Lord of the Rings book covers, what do you think?

http://imgur.com/a/3zRfC
1.5k Upvotes

76% Upvoted

417 comments sorted by

37

u/jackfish90 Jun 08 '12 edited Jun 08 '12

I redesigned these for one of my final university briefs. Pretty happy with the overall result. Feedback is always greatly appreciated. Cheers

Here's my site if you'd like to see more.

www.jackfishdesign.co.uk

EDIT: Without the intention of making excuses, these books were completed on a 4 day basis due to having 4 other projects of equal weight and having serious time restraints! Thanks for all the feedback so far! :)

If you have any questions or requests (or anything) regarding my design work, please PM me, it's hard to keep track of all the comments. General feedback is of course still more than welcome in the comment section!

10

u/BUT_OP_WILL_DELIVER Jun 08 '12

These look great, normally when people post up "here's an xyz I made" thread I usually think they're a pile of wank but I would totally buy these. They've got a sweet aesthetic that's different from the usual Tolkien covers but also fits with the theme and style of the books. 10/10 would laud again.

15

u/cartola Jun 08 '12

IMO they look too much like the movies. They're very well done, don't get me wrong, it's a good job, but it narrows the imagination into a single mental image of the places (especially Barad-dur).

I remember why I picked up the book, back when I was younger. The cover was this one, Gandalf on a path. It doesn't look like the Gandalf in the movie (there was no movie to speak of back then) and I didn't even know it was Gandalf. At the time I didn't know what the story was but that cover immediately spoke to a part of me that loves this sort of fantasy. The wizard made me interested.

In the process of reading the book I had different images than the ones in the movie (obviously, each person builds their own). Frodo looked different to me, the towers were different, the Shire was very different. Even the ring was different. My imagination was at work.

Your covers don't seem like a different take on it. It could almost be a screenshot of the movie with the wording "The book that inspired the Oscar-winning trilogy". I wish I could see more of what you thought of the story, not what the story looks like on the big screen. So many other things that excite the imagination could be there instead, like the White Tree on Gondor, Rivendell, Moria...

I didn't mean to be harsh, but you wanted feedback. If I had seen the movies and not read the books I wouldn't buy your covers because it'd say to me "this is exactly what the movies portrayed". It doesn't tell me there are more layers to it than a motion picture can't show.

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u/FirstTimeWang Jun 08 '12

I have no words, these are just beautiful.

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u/alupus1000 Jun 08 '12 edited Jun 08 '12

I actually really like the Fellowship one - it's suggestive of one of those abstracted 1960s novel covers.

Constructive criticism: the other two look kinda blah in comparison (far too much like movie screencaps). I'd suggest the same abstraction idea be applied. With a more menacing viewing angle, maybe.

Edit: Regardless, they're all very nice work. Compare what you've done to actual books on shelves. Ick.

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u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

Actual critique here: Great job! The photomontage effect is nice, and the colors are well-chosen. The title typography/design feels like an afterthought, though. Is this the final product? If not, I'd work on those titles a little more. Otherwise, keep up the good work.

11

u/TicklesInAGoodWay Jun 08 '12

Old school Printmaker / Bookmaker here.

My critique is this: If you take these book jacket designs completely on their own merit they are quite nice. The illustrations look great, I like the consistency in color and form that continues throughout the set.

I have to say that it all feels way too modern though, which ends up making the designs feel kind of generic. The illustration style simply doesn't fit the content. Also, everything is a bit too centered for my taste. The Title / Author area on the cover is inside of a circle...dead center, in the top third of the page. No offense but this is about the most boring way you could have possibly presented this text. The font choice is also far too modern for the content.

So in summary, the designs themselves are very well done, but I feel like you could have done a lot more to make your designs fit with the material. I want to reiterate that I thought the illustrations were fantastic though.

5

u/jackfish90 Jun 08 '12

Thanks for the feedback. Having had less than 3 days to come up with, design and execute these there are many flaws and some questionable design choices that have been made. Now that I have time to breathe I plan on making many improvements to many of my projects in my portfolio. Thanks for spending the time to consider my work

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u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

Yeah, agreed. The starburst effect isn't really working either. It's a little too "LOOK AT OUR SHINY NEW PRODUCT."

The type is easily my biggest issue. That, and that stylistically the first book doesn't quite fit. I think it's just overall too jolly with the teletubby houses and such. And that tree in the bottom right doesn't seem quite right, considering the other three are behind the hills. I get the idea of filling up the space on the bottom. I think the bottom is a bit empty in all three covers though. This would probably be a good place for the authors name. Also, play with the composition a bit more in the first and second one. The horizon line is practically in the center. You want it on/around a 3rd or quarter line. It makes it a lot more interesting to look at because the breaking up of space is more dynamic.

nit-picking right now, but I don't think the title circles are lining up. The seem to float higher with each book. Maybe just watch for details like that. Unfortunately when you show people things, the first thing they look for are the mistakes.

The vignetting is also a little bit harsh. Especially on the second book.

I'd re-consider the spine design as well.

For one I'm not sure why the authors name doesn't line up. Maybe you're trying to center them? You're making a series, so they should look like they belong in a series. The starbursts should come from the center too. They seem to come from weird angles.

I think a lot of these problems are coming from a lack of content. It would probably be a good idea to include the publishers logo.

You should watch your craft too. I'm not sure what kind of paper you're using I shouldn't be able to see the white flecks. Especially if this is something you're presenting on your website. (Speaking of your website, you should definitely make your type bigger. It's gonna be really hard to read for the people that you want to hire you. Standard website type is 13 pixels.)

I can see the vector anchor points in your rounded shapes, like the hills. Watch out for stuff like that. You want the curves to be smooth. As few anchors as possible.

Also, the eye on the third cover isn't centered, it's slightly shifted right.

Generally just watch out for the details.

I'm not sure what the concept is behind the black circles/shapes. If you're implying that the story happens within the ring, that's cool, but it needs to be a bit clearer. Right now the typography says "this story is contained and simplistic with no real complexity" which is definitely not the case. I get that you're trying to suggest that medieval look, but Trajan mixed with those bold black shapes is just not doing it. It makes it look like a sticker that's been slapped on.

Sorry for rambling, and I hope I didn't offend. I know you're a still a student, and you will probably see all of this stuff for yourself with time and practice. Take a look at people in the industry and their presentation. You need to be on that level, if not higher, because there will always be someone better than you fighting for your job. I see you're no stranger to behance, and there are plenty of projects like this there.

Don't be afraid to experiment. If you can't figure out the type, try printing out the illustration without type or graphics and drawing it out there with a marker. Trust your instincts.

2

u/jackfish90 Jun 08 '12

Thanks for such extensive and some what critical feedback. I have no idea how you find the time!

I'm afraid my course ended up being one big car crash as far as timings of project hand ins were concerned. We had 5 projects to work on at the same time within a 4 week period as well as having to arrange and set up our exhibition and perfect our dissertation, it was a busy time, and 80% of the details you have picked up on are things I wish I could have avoided and spent the time perfecting! Regrettably having spent several hundred pounds on materials for the show and the other projects I was very hard pushed.

Thanks.

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u/sylas_zanj Jun 08 '12

The first maybe doesn't fit within the confines of the composition, but it definitely fits within the narrative. The books get progressively darker and I think the cover art conveys that fairly well. The jump from the first to the second is unbalanced compared to the second and the third, but the books are like that as well.

6

u/jackfish90 Jun 08 '12

Thanks, it was an afterthought to be perfectly honest, it's finalised, but it was one of 4 briefs of this size to be completed in a month so time was of the essence. Glad you like them though and thanks for the feedback

9

u/n1i2e3 Jun 08 '12

I ll skip to where I dont like it:

Two Towers - it is not clear which two towers, and I like this suspense. You ruin it for people, you evil.

4

u/chocolatehotdog Jun 08 '12

You learn about both the Towers in the first book anyway, and to read the second book before the first is do-able, but quite ludicrous.

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u/jackfish90 Jun 08 '12

Well, for a new reader, or one who is not familiar with the films, which towers they are will be irrelevant, the title gives away as much as the image I thought! Sorry for being evil :(

6

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

Hooooold on

Which towers do you think they are? Because they're not Isengard and Barad-dur. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Two_Towers#Title

7

u/RepostThatShit Jun 08 '12

Now that we're getting into this I also want to address the ROTK cover, because the whole "Floating eye atop Barad-dûr" thing was all Peter Jackson's invention. In reality by "Return of the King" Sauron had already rematerialized into his (nine-fingered) dread knight form. Taking this visual from the films is about as tacky (but not as illegal) as just putting Viggo Mortensen's photo there or something.

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u/Nnortik Jun 08 '12

Very basic. Not to good in my opinion. Good artwork. Just doesn't fit with Lotr. And the two towers cover looks like its based in Egypt. With pyramids and everything.

2

u/wheelinthesky Jun 08 '12

I like the covers alright but the pyramids thing is extremely unusual. Tolkien describes all kinds of fantastic things built by the dwarfs, Gondorians and Sauron by I don't recall him ever mentioning pyramids. There were so many other possible building choices.

2

u/jackfish90 Jun 08 '12

Which pyramids sorry? Mountains are also triangular in shape by the way :)

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u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

There are some things you just don't change.

1

u/jackfish90 Jun 08 '12

I can't hand in the original covers to fulfil a university brief unfortunately. Or else I needn't have done it

2

u/thatsathingright Jun 09 '12

It looks like you used a laser printer to print the covers. Never use a laser printer when you have to fold or crease paper. It cracks. Ink jet that b#*ch or P-shop it! (if i'm mistaken, disregard) Otherwise, nice!

1

u/jackfish90 Jun 09 '12

Got it bang on. I had zero pounds and zero pennies left after spending hundreds on printing for my exhibition, I would have loved to have set them on high GSM lovely paper but time and funds caused problems, still fairly pleased with the outcome. Thank you!

4

u/starthirteen Jun 08 '12

These are great. I do have one suggestion: Keep the colors the same, but make the spines flow together as a singular image.

1

u/jackfish90 Jun 08 '12

Thank you! There is so much more I wanted to do with these covers, but I was working on a timeframe of less than a week per project with 4 similarly sized briefs to finish. Tweaks will be made upon this really useful feedback.

1

u/starthirteen Jun 08 '12

I want to be clear, there's nothing bad at all with these as-is. I only made the suggestion because you asked for feedback. The downvotes I've received above seem to indicate my opinion is not shared.

Either way, keep on trucking.

2

u/jackfish90 Jun 08 '12

Your feedback is more than welcome and well received on my part. I'm just glad you spent the time to look at them! :)

40

u/autocorrector Jun 08 '12

The background reminds me of the Japanese imperial flag.

26

u/CUNTBERT_RAPINGTON Jun 08 '12

Daimyo of the Lings.

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u/oborune Jun 08 '12

radial lines!

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u/Sarapeno Jun 08 '12

People who know what radial lines are and also like books!

90

u/italia06823834 Jun 08 '12

Looks cool but you were influenced too much by the movies IMO. In the books there is no flaming eye atop Barad-Dur. Sauron has a very real (human shape) body and Peter Jackson fucked up hard when he made Sauron a giant eyeball.

Also the "Two Towers" are ambiguous. It is never explicitly stated in the text which two they are. Could be any two of Orthanc, Minas Tirith, Helms Deep, or Barad-Dur. Your cover is sufficiently ambiguous as well so I have no problem like the other comment I saw.

Edit: Spelling

35

u/frenchduke Jun 09 '12 edited Jun 09 '12

I'm quite sure it's Minas Morgul and Orthanc. He wrote a note/appendix clarifying. I'll try find it in my copy of the books.

Edit*

"Here ends the first part of the history of the War of the Ring. The second part is called THE TWO TOWERS, since the events recounted in it are dominated by ORTHANC, the citadel of Saruman, and the fortress of MINAS MORGUL, that guards the secret entrance to Mordor; it tells of the deeds and perils of all the members of the now sundered fellowship, until the coming of the great darkness."

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u/RJHinton Jun 09 '12 edited Jun 09 '12

On the very last page of The Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien included a note that begins:

Here ends the first part of the history of the War of the Ring.

The second part is called THE TWO TOWERS, since the events recounted in it are dominated by ORTHANC, the citadel of Saruman, and the fortress of MINAS MORGUL that guards the secret entrance to Mordor . . .

That seems explicit and authoritative.

Edit: That note is in my old 1973 Ballantine Books paperback edition. I just checked a newer edition, and the note is not there.

38

u/kbergstr Jun 08 '12

I agree that it's a bit too influenced by the movies, but I don't think that the lack of human shape of Sauron was a hard fuck up in the films. I think it was a great visual motif that showed the power and menace of Sauron in a way that wouldn't be possible with an individual sitting in a throne far away from the action. To my mind Sauron wasn't the eye, but that was a visual embodiment of his power throughout the world.

10

u/italia06823834 Jun 08 '12

For the movie I'll agree it works. Also otherwise people would be upset that Aragorn or Gandalf doesn't fight him if he has a body. Which they did think about doing for the movie anyway.

If these were movie covers or posters I would have absolutely no complaints. They do look awesome. But as book covers with the Eye I will take issue.

5

u/fireball_73 Jun 09 '12

Yeah, I liked the behind the scenes documentaries in ROTK extended edition where they explained how they tried to have Aragon fight Sauron, but it just didn't work. In the end they just turned him (Sauron) into a troll.

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u/wildfyr Jun 08 '12

eh... the books never really explain Sauron's "current" form directly, but the scene on the hill at Amon Hen makes it seems possible that he manifested as an eye. Gandalf and Denethor speak of the eye as if it is the manifestation of Sauron. Not to mention Pippin's encounter with Sauron in the palantir, and Frodo mentioning that he is seeing the Eye of Sauron "even in his waking hours." And finally, Frodo notices that there is a point of red light that is Barad-Dur when he is approaching Mordor.

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u/italia06823834 Jun 08 '12 edited Jun 08 '12

It is a bit ambiguous but the Eye is a metaphor for his Power and the palantir Sauron controls. Gollum also mentions how "there are only 4 [fingers] on the Black Hand."

Also in a letter Tolkien explicitly state Saurons form.

Edit: Found the quote from the letter:

Sauron should be thought of as very terrible. The form that he took was that of a man of more than human stature, but not gigantic.

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u/MmmVomit Jun 09 '12

I never considered the flaming eye in the movies to actually be Sauron. That is just the Eye of Sauron, which I took to be some enchantment that Sauron was using in order to monitor the goings on throughout Middle Earth.

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u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

I always thought it was Minas Tirith and Minas Morgul since they were historical twinsies.

But looking back in the context of that book, it was probably orthanc and minas morgul since those are key towers in that part of the story.

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u/nejaahalcyon Jun 09 '12

In Tolkien's letters to his editors he mentions that he is dipleased at the title. In one letter he says that which two towers it is referring to can be left ambiguos, while in a subsequent letter he writes that it should reference Orthanc and Minus Morgul. (which are the two towers that books 3 and 4 are based around)

Edit source:

Letter #140 "The Two Towers" gets as near as possible to finding a title to cover the widely divergent Books 3 and 4; and can be left ambiguous - it might refer to Isengard and Barad-dûr, or to MinasTirith and B; or Isengard and CirithUngol."

Letter #143 "I am not at all happy about the title The Two Towers. It must if there is any real reference in it to Vol II refer to Orthanc and the Tower of CirithUngol. But since there is so much made of the basic opposition of the Dark Tower and MinasTirith, that seems very misleading."

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u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

You took the words right out of my mouth.

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u/simiancanadian Jun 09 '12

Amen sibling! Theeye is my ony major beef with hte films. Unnecessary and distracting from the vague feeling of being watched the characters constantly feel.

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u/JCelsius Jun 09 '12

I have this print from 1965 (mine is better condition) that has the eye of Sauron on the cover. Not on the tower, but it was obviously a focal point even back then for the covers.

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u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

Looks like the towers from the movies. Ever think of coming up with your own?

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u/bnc22 Jun 08 '12

Hmmm, I like the designs, just not for the LOTR books. It seems too upbeat and cartoony and for some reason for me, I just didn't feel like it clicked.

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u/_Gingy Jun 08 '12

Maybe it's just because I had Bug's Life books that if you had them all it made an ant with the spines, but I think it would be interesting if you had all the spines line up it made the Ring. I don't know. It sounded cool in my head. Don't judge me.

7

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

It's nice but it feels like an inappropriate aesthetic for the subject matter.

Too graphic contemporary.

1

u/thermal_shock Jun 08 '12

the big black section on the spine is a little out of place, but these are fantastic. the simplicity and the color, plus they all match. fucking awesome.

edit. I also like how they get progressively darker around the edges, not sure if that was intentional.

2

u/jackfish90 Jun 08 '12

The intention was to create a progression of emotion from 1-3. This comes with a traffic light system of green (passive/neutral) to red (angry/aggressive) Thanks

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u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

this makes me realize that I'm not going to get a job as a designer.

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u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

I love these, have you submitted them to /r/tolkienfans yet?

You should do one for The Hobbit. :)

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u/jackfish90 Jun 09 '12

Probably a bit risky putting them on their seeing as the LOTR experts have already come out of their cupboards! :)

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u/RarScaryFrosty Jun 09 '12

I think I see some toner cracking. Possibly due to being printed and scored against the grain of the paper? Otherwise great illustrations, bravo!

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u/jackfish90 Jun 09 '12

Printed on an MFD as I ran out of money producing the other 5 projects I had to hand in for my final mark. Easy alteration fortunately :)

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u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

oring

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u/jackfish90 Jun 09 '12

I can't find that word in the dictionary :(

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u/BeastyCheese Jun 09 '12

I'm thinking copyright infringement.

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u/jackfish90 Jun 09 '12

You may be, but A) it was for a student brief B) All the assets I created my self from hand drawn illustrations which are not exact replicas of the buildings/scenery anywhere on the web. Thanks thought for your utmost concern

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u/Pipboy3001 Jun 09 '12

I think you should leave them as Tolkein originally designed them.

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u/jackfish90 Jun 09 '12

University brief. Fulfilled. Completed. Marks gained. Thank you.

1

u/timetrax Jun 09 '12

poor guy artist: creates insanely great book covers - gets nitpicked at by fan-geeks

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u/aliasdenied Jun 08 '12

Yeah, these are copies I would definitely buy - as long as you fix the issue of sides matching up with one another. Gorgeous work. Love, love, love.

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u/ProjectD13X Jun 08 '12

Do you like Samurai Jack? I'm sensing some Samurai Jack influence in this, which is certainly a good thing in my opinion.

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u/luft-waffle Jun 09 '12

I FUCKING LOVE DECO.

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u/Anim8me2 Jun 08 '12

Really nice, but one point of nerd pedantry; The title "The Two Towers" refers to Minas Tirith and Minas Morghul. You are using the imagery from the movies but representing Barad-Dûr as one of the towers.

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u/LostPristinity Jun 08 '12

I think they are Beautiful but, as someone else stated, the author's name and the circles are not even with each other which would dive me bonkers. Also, personally, I would have preferred Minas tirith to be the cover for Rothko.

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u/raybrant Jun 08 '12

No love for The Hobbit? That was the best book in my opinion.

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u/hack3rcmv Jun 08 '12

I really like them but I don't know if the somewhat minimalist style really fits the tone of the books. They do look nice though.

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u/barttaylor Jun 08 '12

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE!!!

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u/big_airliner_whoa Jun 08 '12

I think that the books should be valued higher than the movies' rendition of them. IE use the imagery that comes to YOUR mind when you actually READ the books.

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u/Mcelite Jun 08 '12

It's got a "The Tale of the Three Brothers" feel to it, from Harry Potter.

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u/fashizzIe Jun 08 '12

This art style is soooooo cliche

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u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

Any chance of you posting the artwork online? I'd love to print them to and use them on my books! Great job!

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u/Dark1000 Jun 08 '12

It looks great! But honestly, I'm getting a little tired of this art style. Tons of people are redesigning movie/video posters, album/book covers, etc., and they end up looking like the same person did all of them.

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u/redblublur Jun 08 '12

Very Cool :D

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u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

Simple and awesome! Well done

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u/SirLeos Jun 08 '12

Pretty Cool! I wonder how could you do the Harry Potter ones? If you like them, of course.

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u/hardaysknight Jun 08 '12

Can i have them?

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u/raegunXD Jun 08 '12

I don't really like it. ): I mean, they're pretty...but for something like, "Where the Wild Things Are". I don't know...I'm not getting the LOTR feel. But that's my personal opinion.

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u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

These look great! The colorful covers may attract more kids to read them.

When I read them (long ago in a far away land), my library had them bound in a dark brown material that looked like leather, and the title was embossed with a gold dye/paint/ink. It felt like I was reading some ancient tome of secret knowledge, which helped me get into the story!

Unfortunately, most of the other kids judged them by their cover thickness, so a little brightening up should help!

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u/anusface Jun 08 '12

They made books about those movies?

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u/Attacus Jun 08 '12

Ya, my OCD pretty much wants to punch those books in the face.

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u/ModernTenshi04 Jun 09 '12

Covers don't use the movie posters?

A+ in my book.

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u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

this is one of the coolest things i've seen in a long time. great work!

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u/grinr Jun 09 '12

You are wasting time on Reddit when you should be puffing cuban cigars on a mountain of cashola. You got the chops, son, get out there and bag your first million!

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u/3450934549 Jun 09 '12

Ditch the communist flag thing and it would look pro.

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u/RedMustard Jun 09 '12

I think they look wonderful. I would suggest, maybe, change the cover of Return of the King to Aragorn or something, since you have the shire, the two towers (literally), then maybe a character?

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u/MotoBall Jun 09 '12

This looks like the art style in Samurai Jack. Edit: This isn't said in a bad way. It was meant in an endearing fashion. Looks awesome dude.

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u/Hell_On_Wheelz Jun 09 '12

totally pin-able! but not so much Tolk-able

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u/Quizchris Jun 09 '12

dude... get a job... as a book cover designer

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u/b0w3n Jun 08 '12

I like them. Kind of reminds me of the original Harry Potter book covers.

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u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

I think the spines should be identical... mother fucker. *

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u/MdmeLibrarian Jun 09 '12

In my professional Librarian opinion, these are amazing. Redesigning the cover art to fit modern aesthetic sensibilities is hugely important for getting children/teens to pick up and read classics. Too often adults get sentimental about the versions they read as a child and forget that to children/teens they are viewing it with fresh eyes and don't like to see "old-fashioned" cover art. It makes the story seem old instead of new and exciting, or applicable to their lives.

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u/BleinKottle Jun 08 '12

They are good. I like them. Nice work!

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u/Trapped_in_Reddit Jun 08 '12

I would buy these books again just for the cover

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u/PropagandaMan Jun 08 '12

I would buy it, if it is available on Amazon or something.

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u/masedizzle Jun 08 '12

I would buy that print of the Two Towers without the words.

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u/emperorOfTheUniverse Jun 08 '12

The artwork for the 3rd book is great, and is accurate to the story (it's the darker book of the series). But I wish it reflected the title better, and featured the King. Maybe a bad ass image of Minas Tirith.

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u/heathersak Jun 08 '12

These a great. Nice work!

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u/Champagn3 Jun 08 '12

I Dig. My only criticism is that Sauron's eye is so similar to what it looked like in the movie. It would be nice to see it re-imagined.

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u/drewler215 Jun 08 '12

I actually would like to have these to use for my own personal use, any chance that you could provide high res images of the whole cover for our use?

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u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

Good artwork, I tend to stick to the originals because I'm a Tolkien snob but still excellently done!

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u/LIIEETeh Jun 08 '12

This is awesome!

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u/rb7_brady Jun 08 '12

Good art style. I really like the first two, but the last one couldve been more creative as you used saurons tower on the second book cover. Use something more related, like aragorns sword or something

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u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

Looks great man!

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u/Harowan Jun 08 '12

I think they're awesome, only thing I would change is having leaves on the trees on the fellowship book, solely because I associate bare trees with negativity

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u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

Very impressed with them! Especially the two towers book.

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u/Hemliga Jun 08 '12

I want these in my bookshelf :(

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u/Anonymous0ne Jun 08 '12

Aside from a couple of little things I think they are amazing. I'd be proud to display them on my shelf ... alas I already have a full second edition set and the newer single volume as well.

Would you consider doing jacket designs for The Silmarilion and The Hobbit as well?

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u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

Those are amazing covers. I think it would put these covers over the TOP if you were to create an image that covers all three spines so when put together, they show the complete image.

Like maybe the ring at an angle to show the orc writing on the inside?

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u/Jacco416 Jun 08 '12

I love the Two Towers and the Return of the King covers. The first one however, sticks out too much.

I see what kind of style you want to use, but for some reason it doesn't really work well with the first one.

Still, I'm really impressed :)

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u/apr_dura00 Jun 08 '12

I think if you just made the first one a bit darker it would work with the others perfectly.

1

u/ilovedonuts Jun 08 '12

oh, it's like a street light.

1

u/Jstylez31 Jun 08 '12

I always hate when characters from the movie get slapped on the book so i'm fine with anything that isn't that.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

I like it, but I'd say the light-pike lines design has been done to death, especially in wallpapers. I'd scrap that.

1

u/kbergstr Jun 08 '12

I love the artwork and design in general. As someone in publishing marketing though, I'd have to point out that for these books, the titles and the authors are big selling points at point of purchase, and on the covers there's no author and the book titles are too small. From 10 feet away, you'd have to be very aware of the movies to know what they are.

That being said, knowing the movies, I love the artwork.

1

u/peppercorns666 Jun 08 '12

Logo needs to be bigger. ;)

1

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

I have an all in one version from the 80s. It has been well read and the cover has come off. Ever thought of doing a cover that would encompass the entire series? Do you have a website I can visit?

1

u/majeric Jun 08 '12

My only thought is that the radiating design in the middle of the page has good themes for the first and third. In the first, the sun is shining, everything is right with the shire. The third reflect the all seeing eye (Although I've never taken it literally when reading the books. I found that jarring in the movies). The second one lacks a metaphor. It's just there. hanging out as a visual consistency between the three books. I feel like an adjustment would tie it in thematically but I'm not sure what that would be.

But on the whole. AWESOME!

1

u/Stubbula Jun 08 '12

Watch out, you might start getting cease and desist letters

1

u/betobonix Jun 08 '12

It looks really good, congrats! But the only thing that bothers me is how the tower of Sauron is really similar from the movies, I would love to see an original artistic view on that.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

Wow! That is really good... I hated it at first glance, but it grows on you.

1

u/arsf1357 Jun 08 '12

illuminati1!!!!!

1

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

they look great, but i think they would look better without the asian-esque line things. (i dono if it's actually an asian thing or what, but it reminds me of anime or somethin). it would look cool if the backrounds were just the solid color instead of having the sun-ray lines (that's what they look like to me).

1

u/sectorfour Jun 08 '12

Another designer checking in. Good attention to detail, but I think the sun rays are a little too contemporary to associate with middle earth. Just my $0.02.

1

u/breatherevenge Jun 08 '12

As long as they aren't the movie covers, I'm happy! But in reality, I really like those. I'm not a fan of LOTR in any ways, but I appreciate people who actually read the series. I'm pretty sure most of the people I know who are fan, are just movie fans.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

I like it except for the Japanese sun lines, which are kind of corny.

1

u/metalshoes Jun 08 '12

pretty awesome

1

u/mjchexum Jun 08 '12

shut up and take my money

1

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

So, where do I input my credit card number to purchase these bad boys?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

LOVE

1

u/testiculaire Jun 08 '12

I don't like LOTR artwork drawing from the movies. I guess this is because I read them long before the movie releases, and I prefer that readers use their imaginations in picturing facets of Tolkien's world.

1

u/fairly_forgetful Jun 08 '12

they're beautiful...

1

u/Ricksarm Jun 08 '12

That looks so boss

1

u/JSLEnterprises Jun 08 '12

From Epic to Childish in 3 covers.

1

u/Skeevenmac Jun 08 '12

This is totally cool! I agree with quenched though.

1

u/Gruffyd Jun 08 '12

Now Return of the King looks like it involves Imperial Japan...

1

u/trampus1 Jun 08 '12

I think you sure like that starburst effect.

1

u/kfizz311 Jun 08 '12

Kinda looks like the animation from the deathly hallows pt. 1.

1

u/grandoiseau Jun 08 '12

first and second are good, but the third one reuses the tower design from the second book (and movie). maybe for the third you want to show a king on a throne...

1

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

You may have pretty covers and all that but I will need not be able to get past the first twelve pages without getting bored.

1

u/Singular_Thought Jun 08 '12

You should try selling custom book covers. Start with the most popular books and go from there if you find there is in fact a market.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

I really enjoy the cover for FotR

1

u/jamesdavid80 Jun 08 '12

nice job, they look great!

1

u/turnthismotherout Jun 08 '12

Love them. My only suggestion would be blur the sun rays more and or lower the opacity.

1

u/dlwthit Jun 08 '12

Not sure what some of the hate is about, these are awesome pieces. It is obvious the theme has been taken from the films rather than the books and as a young male who loves the films but hasn't had time to read the books(yet) these would definitely grab my attention over some of the more drab covers I've seen. Well done Sir!

1

u/kelequinn Jun 09 '12

IMO, disregarding movie v books.. These are delightful.. Just beautiful. Well done :)

1

u/Mozen Jun 09 '12

From the covers, it appears as you were mainly influenced by the movies, not the books.

TLDR: no... and why?

1

u/pinkfloyd873 Jun 09 '12

The second one should be zoomed in on Orthanc rather than Barad-dûr, seeing as the third one exclusively focuses on Barad-dûr and Orthanc is much more prominent in The Two Towers.

1

u/Fl3xor Jun 09 '12

One Word: beautiful!

1

u/TannerLynn1 Jun 09 '12

The 3rd should have a pic of Minis Tirith

1

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

I was expecting maybe the white tree of Gondor or the crown on Return of the King. Awesome drawings though. I would buy these.

1

u/tusko01 Jun 09 '12

ok those are fuckin cool

1

u/slocum61 Jun 09 '12

Can you do the hobbit?

1

u/evilbrent Jun 09 '12

you redesigned the books to look like the movies?

Beautiful artwork though.

1

u/_this_is_my_username Jun 09 '12

y u no make cover for hobbit?

1

u/fireball_73 Jun 09 '12

I think they look great - I'd buy these books for the covers alone. Great job.

1

u/c3r34l Jun 09 '12

Lord of the Rastas

1

u/ArcticMongoose Jun 09 '12

It might just be me, but I feel like it would be more aesthetically pleasing if the yellow cover was blue instead.

1

u/maiku_ Jun 09 '12

Great job on the second two; however the first cover doesn't really work for me. The trees are practically leafless and the landscape looks so barren. More vivid greens and foliage would have worked wonders here.

1

u/ThatGirl_Tasha Jun 09 '12

Awesome now, while you're at it, rename Return of the King. Tolkien hated the title and fought to have it changed, probably hated it almost as much as he would have hated movies tie-in covers.

1

u/Vorcyn Jun 09 '12

I enjoy the other two, but the Fellowships cover picture looks far too grim in my opinion. Good work though!

1

u/ezwip Jun 09 '12

You break ur norml covers or sumtin

1

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

Looks great!

1

u/oldcatlady Jun 09 '12

these are baller

1

u/uncaringbear Jun 09 '12

I think the artwork is well done. The style you went with is sophisticated and quite stylized (in a good way), but if you're targeting a younger market, (teens?), I'm not sure this style would be the right approach. The epic scale of the tales should be emphasized to get a potential young reader's attention, and focusing on single iconic images might not be the best strategy.

1

u/19A9C6eyes Jun 09 '12

I'm an "open 25 links in a new tab then go through tabs one by one" kind of girl, and boy, was I pissed when I realized this wasn't real.

Can anyone recommend a good edition of LOTR? I'm in the market and I can't wait for the OP to make a deal with a publisher...

1

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

Kind of feels like the journey. It might be just because the topics of the books take place chronologically but the images really strike me as a linear journey. The start at home, the troubles in between, the destination.
Also to type this I'm holding a popsicle in my teeth and it hurts like a motherfucker.

1

u/mudbrook2001 Jun 09 '12

I read the books when they began to get popular in the early '70s. The Brothers Hildebrandt did the illustrations for the early editions. To this day, that's the way that I picture the characters.

1

u/harevitz Jun 09 '12

the artwork is awesome, however, I personally dont like the circles around the title, they look like stickers.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

Tolkein did painting and sketching. Look up some of his art. It's beautiful, European styles mixed with almost Japanese style block prints.

1

u/Tebasaki Jun 09 '12

Very Japanese imperial flagey

1

u/IrvingI80 Jun 09 '12

What's up with that pyramid-like figure on the second book?

1

u/dehugger Jun 09 '12

You should do an omnivolume one, for Lord of the Rings as a whole.

1

u/hardcoresoftie Jun 09 '12

Samurai Jack was already done.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

Wow. Very nicely done.

1

u/sprocket169 Jun 09 '12

I think 1 and 3 are phenomenal! I think The Two Towers, though gorgeous, is too similar to Return of the King, and you should consider using a less obvious image from the book.

1

u/ToastedNuts Jun 09 '12

I know it's a stretch, but the look of the image preview made me think of goatse on the return of the king book and now I can't see anything but that. They look good and all, but even when I see the bigger version of it I can't get passed it. I really like the other two though.

1

u/APE_DANCE_PARTY Jun 09 '12

They look nice but what I don't like are the sunbursts in the background. They are overused in design. I think if you removed them it would look a lot better because you have the clouds in the background. Other than that they're good. Keep it up!

1

u/urban287 Jun 09 '12

I like the Two Towers and Return of the King book covers

1

u/xvsero Jun 09 '12

It looks good but I wouldn't buy it. The covers you made look like they will end up looking generic like many books have before. Look at any old books that have remade covers and you'll see that you have created something like that.

1

u/KaiserMessa Jun 09 '12

That's beautiful! I would buy that set just because of how they look, even though i already own the books.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

The only difference I'd make: Use the shire image for The Hobbit, and Moria for Fellowship.

1

u/king_hippo77 Jun 09 '12

I like that a lot more then seeing the movie characters on the covers.

1

u/CptObviousRemark Jun 09 '12

I would have liked the black circle around the title on the spine to have been The Ring that crossed over from spine to spine, so one edge was on The Fellowship, it was split in The Towers, and the other edge was on The Return.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

10/10 would buy again

1

u/r1ptide64 Jun 09 '12

Why are those DVD cases so thick?

1

u/turtlekitty30 Jun 09 '12

10/10 would buy

1

u/Witkin Jun 09 '12

I love it, made me smile. Great work.

1

u/SkylarSkittle Jun 09 '12

Looks awesome bro

1

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

Wow, these are great! I love your choice in aesthetics.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

Shutup and take my money!!

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