Saturday, September 7, 2013

By Its Cover: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo


Did you know there was a dragon in the background of this cover? I seriously didn't, despite having seen it dozens of times over several years, until I just copy/pasted it right here in this post. That book has been sitting next to my couch for over a month and I didn't realize that. So... it's not terribly effective, I guess.

It is, however, very recognizable, and I could point it out from across the room.

Design-wise, it's well done: bright cover catches the eye, simple text makes it easy to identify, and (incredibly) subtle cover art makes it unique without being overly busy. And it lent itself well to a series:


Each cover is clearly unique while simultaneously obviously part of the same group and equally recognizable.

Cassy, super late in the game today.  But now it's like a SURPRISE entry on your Saturday.

I, like Alex, didn't realize that there was a dragon in the background until she pointed it out RIGHT THEN.  I'm still not convinced that they're all like that.  I think it's a fluke.

However, it is a very recognizable cover and because of the nature of the color of its cover, easy to pick out on the shelf.  I mean, if I see a bright yellow spine on the shelf, I'm going to automatically assume that it's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (and I would probably be right.)

I like that all the covers fit together too.  I think cover two and three fit more with the book titles (book two LOOKS fiery, and book three gives you a feeling of a hornets nest.)  Like Alex pointed out, the design on the cover of book one is just a little too subtle for my taste.

3 comments:

  1. Well, the first time you meet a girl with a tattoo (actually, the first time you meet anybody with a tattoo), it's probably not the first thing you notice about her, right? So maybe the cover works that way. Hornets and fire tend to be attention hogs.

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  2. That's an excellent point... Although having the tattoo is her identifying characteristic in the title. It's not "The Girl Who Likes Apple Juice" or "The Girl Who Does a Great Imitation of Johnny Carson"... her tattoo is the only thing we know about her before we crack the book. But that's still a really good point about tattoos.

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    Replies
    1. I'm going to write a book now called, "The Girl Who Does a Great Imitation of Johnny Carson."

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