Fussing with Covers

This week, I’ve been busy with a couple of book production projects. I’m playing around with a couple of book concepts for Tuna Kalaycı’s edited volume Archaeologies of Roads.

The first cover is perhaps too traditional, but I really like the image (which the editor provided):

The pros of this cover is that it exudes a serious and traditional vibe and my press hasn’t done much with serious and tradition covers. The cons, of course, is that the cover is boring and far more boring than the book (which isn’t really boring at all!).

I also designed a more playful and graphic cover.

I like the general design of this cover, although perhaps its execution is not exactly where it should be. It’s more playful and more striking, which I like, but maybe also more amateurish. 

As always, I’d love some feedback on these covers. Any and all suggestions are welcome!

P.S. The book’s editor just sent me a few ideas… including this one, which isn’t quite ready for prime time, but I like none the less.