F. Schleiermacher and Guy Deutscher Readings (Umi)

“On the Different Methods of Translation”:

In his paper, F. Schleiermacher breaks down the different options translators have when working on writing pieces. Although I was already aware of the methods that Schleiermacher discusses, when I actually read what he had to say and saw the methods spelled out, the ideas became more clear to me. For instance, in the very beginning, he says that translators can either impart to the reader the same image/impression that the translator themselves received, or modify the original author's style to sound more fitting in the secondary, translated language. Now, this was obvious to me, however when Schleiermacher chose to use the words: "Either the translator leaves the author in peace as much as possible and moves the reader towards him; or he leaves the reader in peace as much as possible and moves the writer towards him", I was able to grasp the concept better and visualize the two methods more. Overall, I agree with the criticisms and details that Schleiermacher mentions regarding each method. His point about readers potentially being dissatisfied with the translator changing up the writer's style to better fit the translated language makes sense to me, and Schleiermacher's analogy of showing the picture of a man if his mother had conceived him by a different father helped me visualize this better. 

"You Are What You Speak":

Out of all the readings I have read for this class this semester, I found this one to be one of the more interesting ones. In his paper, Guy Deutscher talks about the natural tendencies (use of language) of various language and how they differ. Being a native English speaker and having learned Spanish for a few years in high school, I understood his references to the Spanish usage of feminine vs masculine verbs. However, it never occurred to me that the omission of certain details in English (i.e. regarding sex) would not be possible in Spanish since gender has to be specified. Similarly, I found it fascinating that there are languages that use geographical positions and directions in daily speech (i.e. we say "go left" but another might say "go west"). Overall, I found the ideas that Deutscher introduced in his paper to be very interesting as I learned about other cultures and the ways in which their way of communicating differs from ours.

Copeland Reading (Cat)

 Copeland brings up many interesting points about translation and how many of the difficulties or challenges within it can be seen as a sort of dilemma. It was very interesting to see how translating certain texts that have different styles of writing depending on the character or situation can create additional problems especially when it comes to attempting to represent those additional qualities. Copeland also pointed out an interesting difference between publishing for Universities and publishing for publishing houses. Universities usually give a lot more freedom to the translators and allow them to experiment more, whereas publishing houses are a lot more strict in regards to the content as they are focused on making the book or story widely sold. It's really interesting to see how translators like Copeland play tug of war between the material, editors, and other resources to create a complete and cohesive translation. 

Copeland Reading (Tai)

Rebecca Copeland’s work, “Hearing Voices: My Encounters with Translation,” offers an enlightening perspective on the nuanced art of translation. One of the examples Copeland presents is the mistranslation in the speech “Daughters in Boxes” by the Japanese activist Kishida. The initial mislabeling of the speech as “Flowers and Salt,” attributed to the visual similarity of kanji characters, highlights an important aspect of translation, which is the ease with which meaning can be altered due to minor details. This instance highlights the importance of meticulous attention to linguistic and cultural nuances in translation, something that is heavily emphasized in any translation.

This error in translation is not just a simple mistake but a reflection of the layered process of interpretation and re-interpretation that every translated text goes through. It shows the fact that translators do more than convert text. They carry the essence of the original work across cultural and linguistic boundaries. The task requires an understanding of both the source and target languages, as well as sensitivity to the cultural nuances. Additionally, Copeland’s challenge in conveying the energy and essence of the original text while making it accessible to a new audience mirrors our learning experiences. In our course, we frequently grapple with maintaining the author’s voice and intent in our translations, a task that is as challenging as it is rewarding. Copeland’s insights provide a valuable perspective for understanding the complexities of translation. Her experiences serve as a compelling reminder of the balance required in translations, which is being faithful to the source material while resonating with a new audience.

 

Copeland Reading (Bruce)

Copeland writes that "when you translate, it is not just the word that you must consider but the power that resides around it" (128). Students of translation, perhaps due to a degree of naivete, long to translate every word of a text to the utmost precision, with little to no compromise. With any amount of experience, we realize that it is not so easy in practice. In fact, often times there comes a necessary realization, or maybe a disillusionment, in the concept of "words," in favor of an emergent property we call "meaning." By emergent, I mean a property absent in the constituent, but apparent in the whole. For example, a single ant is powerless, but a colony of ants is incredibly intelligent. Intelligence is an emergent property Similarly, a word is meaningless, but a body of text holds meaning. Each word can be thought of as an ant. One ant being slightly different could be acceptable if the colony can still perform its function, but many ants missing, or perhaps, important ants missing (i.e. the queen(s)), would collapse the whole. In that metaphor, a translator must think about translation similarly to transplanting a colony of ants.

reading comment (Musashi)

 In Copeland's commentsn on the translation process, the challenges she faced with "Grotesque" made me think about various issues encountered by translators, from technical ones to emotional complexities. Her experience pointed out the unexpected emotional toll of translating dark content, a facet not commonly considered. While cultural differences are recognized as a potential issue, Copeland's personal struggle with the disturbing nature of the subject matter helps understand the translator's dilemma. Another interesting point was the conflict with the editor, which reveals the extent to which the editor changes or omits characters and scenes. Deviations from the common perception that editors make minor changes underscore the potential for a translated work to be transformed into something distinctly different.  The dilemma of choosing the most appropriate word while taking into account the different nuances of meaning resonates with the translator's constant quest for accuracy. In addition, Copeland discusses the impact of different voices on translation. Maintaining the author's stylistic choices, such as linguistic nuances and characters' conversations, is an important challenge in translation.

R. Copeland (Kelly)

  In reading "Hearing Voices"by Copeland, a part that stood out to me was her translation of The Puppet Maker Tenguya Kyukichi. We had just discussed ways to translate dialect in class and the guest speaker on Friday delved a little into the difficulties and so it is nice to finally see an example. I think the translation itself is great. I can imagine hearing a voice in a Southern accent reading out the translation which I guess is the most "American" equivalent. The not-so-accurate grammar as well as "some'll" (not pronouncing "well" out) is something I find quite characteristic of Southerners. I have always been an advocate of just leaving out the dialect in the dialogue so I'm very impressed to see it done well.

I also found the discussion on decoding katakana in Copeland's translation of Grotesque quite amusing since even after study Japanese for a while katakana continues to be quite difficult. The combination of the hard to read blocky letters and the "Japanesification" of the pronunciation of the foreign words (エネルギー ) makes katakana impossible to decode sometimes.

R. Copeland, “Hearing Voices” (Matt)

Thinking about what Copeland said, I get it's tough to put the real meaning of words into another language. In "Hearing Voices," she talks about how some things just don't have the same words in another language. She describes it as a dilemma, where she is stuck between different choices that she doesn't want to use, trying to pick the best one. When I'm translating, I also focus a lot on matching the feeling or tone to the people who are going to read it. Copeland talks about how different voices influence the translation and I feel the same where the voices for me is the audience that would be receiving the text, and trying to put it in a tone/wording that matches them. She also talks about how trying to keep stylistic choices done by the author can be difficult to translate, particularly in her translation of Grotesque. Things like Katakana, or even just how certain characters talk can be difficult to portray in a different language which is something that I try to keep as best as I can, but sometimes it feels too difficult so I end up just translating it directly without the stylistic touch that it has in the original.

R. Copeland Reading (Jane)

The idea of a vopice existing, as explained by R. Copeland, is something I like to focus on as well and thought it was nice to see that a professional translator also belives in this voice. When reading books with a lot of dialogue, it works best to imagine how the narrator is saying the words which makes the translating that much more exciting. It is kinda of like watching the book as a movie and translating the movie and dialogue as described in Japanese into English. Copeland did mention getting lost in the dialect and losing the voice which is something that I was confused about. The dialect adds to the voice and makes the character stand out more in my opinion. The only weakness I see in this method would be restraining oneself as the translator from putting down new emotions or description one might imagine that were not in the original text.

Copeland also brushes over the holy grail of challenges for translators: traditional Japanese words and katakana being translated into English. I think, like with any language, there are going to be words that can not be perfectly translated and are going to be a challenge to accept that it will not be "perfect."

R. Copeland Reading (Micah)

 One thing I found interesting from Copeland's writing was her experience with the translation of "Grotesque." I think that it gave a very good overview into many of the different types of issues a translator can run into, ranging from technical issues to disagreements with the editor. Some things she mentioned appear obvious, such as the challenge of translating a very long piece, as that naturally is a lot of work. But something like the emotional effect of having to work with a dark piece like "Grotesque" was something I never thought about. I imagined that the largest issues you could run into were things like cultural differences, but the personal challenge of working with an emotionally unpleasant piece makes sense to me now. Another interesting issue that Copeland mentions she ran into this piece was a conflict with her editor. She details how the editors cut out characters and various scenes from the story completely. Prior to this, I was under the impression that editors were there to only make slight alterations to the story, instead of completely changing some aspects of the story. While I understand this is for monetary reasons, I personally disagree with changing so much if you want a translated story. In my opinion, something like this should not be branded as a translation but a new story inspired by the "original". 

Hearing Voices Reading (Jordan)

 In "Hearing Voices", Rebecca Copeland revisits her journey as a translator. The first step she made in her growth as a translator was coming to an understanding of what her Professor, Seidensticker, said about translation: that it is a series of dilemmas. More generically, I just thought of a dilemma as a challenge, but apparently, the dictionary definition is "a situation requiring a choice between equally undesirable alternatives." Copeland didn't want to believe that certain parts of a text can be untranslatable, but she quickly learned that this could be the case. It seems like the art of translation is sometimes not about finding the "right" answer but finding the least wrong answer. Copeland also writes about her determination to maintain the presence of characters' "voices" between translations. I found it hard to define in my mind exactly what contributes to a character's voice, but there is certainly something. I do imagine every time a character's dialogue is translated, some part of their character disappears, and its the translator's job to make sure this doesn't happen. 

R. Copeland Reading (Daniel)

    One of the things that I found to be most interesting in “Hearing Voices: My Encounters with Translation,” was when Copeland delved into the “flowers in salt” translation. The first aspect was obviously how the written text of “Daughters in Boxes” was derived from the speech itself, and how the written texts of the speech were only the policemen's transcription and the news articles that published Kishida’s alleged speech. The issue that I found to be so interesting was Sharon Sievers’ work, titled Flowers in Salt, which was inspired by Kishida’s speech. The description of flowers in salt was actually not a part of Kishida’s speech at all, but rather a mistake in the translation process. What I found truly eye-opening was Sievers’ commitment to her translation of "salt." While acknowledging that it was not a direct translation, she still stood by it because of the symbolic meaning and power that it contained. I think it is very interesting to think about how these mistakes and misinterpretations can lead to remarkably impactful outcomes. However, I also feel like this was an exceptionally unique moment that would be very hard to replicate, as deliberate misinterpretations would more often than not be pointless if your goal was simply to translate.

R.Copeland–Hearing voices (Racky)

 Rebecca Copeland has been working as a translator and has always considered the importance of translation. When I was reading the original text "Hearing Voices: My Encounters with Translations," I was intrigued when she said, "Everything can be translated." People often say this part of the sentence or paragraph is not translatable because a language is strongly related to a culture. Of course, the direct/literal translation comes out as odd in some languages. It often happens when translating Japanese into English. Some sentences cannot be directly translated, but rather, we have to consider what the author is trying to say in the text. 

To solve this issue, the author describes how important it is for the translator to comprehend and appreciate the text instead of focusing on translating words for words. The author introduced Siever's work as an example. Copeland says, "Words are metaphors after all, place holders for meanings that are conditioned by context." This quote changed my point of view toward translation because I used to think that translators should focus on translating words for words in order not to include extra meanings in the text. However, the author claims that translating words for words is not accurate translation because this method does not always describe the same thing between two languages. From now on, I should focus on understanding texts more.  

Response to the R. Copeland Reading (Grace)

  The Power of Words   

    Rebecca Copeland's piece was eye-opening to me. As an avid believer in direct translation, I was thoroughly surprised that I agreed with her on a plethora of points. Her description of the power of words in particular resonated with me: "For a translator such as myself who had earlier been so attached to words, Sievers' admission was edifying. When you translate, it is not just the word that you must consider but the power that resides around it (Copeland 128). I had predominantly thought that words were simply used to describe something; that such a power wasn't very strong. However, after reading this article and many more like this one in my anthropology class, I have come to learn that I was partially correct. Words are used to describe, but also to cultivate a particular feeling, or can be viewed as a reflection of one's culture or societal standing. In regards to this class, this is especially true when we are confronted with translating a Japanese dialect into an equivalent English form. As we have discussed extensively in class, most translators simply omit dialect due to (1) how difficult it is to translate and/or (2) fear in offending other cultures. However, Copeland breaks free from this and chooses to translate the dialect in her translation of 人形師天狗野球基地. By translating the Tokushima dialect used in the novel, she is able to expose foreign readers to potential class and geographical differences in Japan whilst giving the translated work a similar feel to the original by simply choosing specific words to convey this. So, words do not simply have the power to define, but also the power to resonate and to reflect.

R. Copeland Reading (Umi)

R. Copeland, “Hearing Voices”:

In her paper, Rebecca Copeland discusses numerous texts she had to work with and brings up the unique difficulties she faced while translating them. From her shared experienced, I became aware of the more distinctive challenges that translators face. For instance, when translating one of the texts, Rebecca mentions that the number of characters that appeared in the text which all spoke through different textual formats (diaries, letters, journals, etc.) proved to be difficult. Further, another interesting challenge she pointed out was having to see her editor(s) cut out characters and implement various deletions to shorten her translations. This was not something that I had considered a problem. That is, I did not view this as much of an issue because I believed that translators and editors are in complete cooperation with each other. However, when she mentioned that she has had editors implement such large-scale changes, it made me realize how unpleasant that must be to see the translations you might have spent hours working on suddenly disappearing in an instant. 

Book Cover Response - Camille

 One thing that wasn't mentioned in either the video or the article was paperback book covers. I'd be interested to hear how cover designs are adapted (if at all) from their hardcover counterparts - when is an entirely new design required and when can an existing one be modified? Particularly for the David Sedaris book mentioned in the video because of the interactive properties of the jacket, did they keep a similar concept and show either just the boxers or just the x-ray, or a new design altogether? 

Both pieces talked about e-readers, and what is lost in terms of cover designs. I thought the book about 16th century Ottoman painters was a good example of this, because without the experience of seeing the book first by it's spine, you lose that narrative effect described in the video. I think there's something to be said for the accessibility of e-readers being a net good, so I wonder how the cover design industry can adapt to work with e-readers rather than against them. Most e-books do include a picture of the cover, so maybe designers can think ahead as to what a greyscaled, pixelated version of their cover will look like?

Book Cover Response (Cat)

Both the TED talk and the reading were very interesting and insightful. I honestly never really gave too much thought when it came to book covers other than thinking that they were there to just entice me/ introduce me to the story and make me want to buy the book to find out more. However, Chip talking about the "My Name is Red" I never would have even begun to realize the flow and the story of just pulling the book out of the bookshelf and how it preludes to the story inside of the book. Additionally, 1Q84 demonstrates through the cover the general concept that the main character will have to face throughout the book is such a sweet treat and really allows and almost entices a reader and/or buyer to want to pick up the book and mess around with the covering of it. I also really enjoy the discussion of books transitioning to e-readers or devices and how some of the art is disappearing due to this increase. I'm curious if there will be some sort of new type of book cover fashion more specific to e-readers in the near future that will rise from this. I do agree that there is something very special about holding a nice thick and well-printed book in your hand versus just a tablet of some sort. From this, I'll definitely be keeping more of an eye on book covers the next time I go to a bookstore. 

Response to Book Covers (Bruce)

I find it strange that the discussion of book covers is dominated by the competition between physical books and e-readers. Both Bosman and Kidd hold the stance that a book's aesthetics is something that is lost in the advent of e-readers, though e-books still come with covers. I think that the aesthetics of book covers and physicality are independent arguments, though they might overlap in some ways. For example, there is a parallel that can be drawn to the music industry, where, with the rise of streaming platforms like Apple Music and Spotify, consumers are no longer incentivized to buy physical releases such as vinyl, cassette, or CDs. However, many, especially those that are big fans, still purchase them. Besides being a means to support the artists, fans simply like to collect them. Essentially, what drives humans to buy something is literally just the desire to have it. Of course, aesthetics can be a part of it, but I find that the dominant factor for a purchase is often simply the dopamine release associated with receiving the item.

On a more relevant note, I really enjoyed the TED talk. Aside from the humor, it was eye-opening to see how a well designed cover can seep into the culture at large, such as the Jurassic Park cover. It's also interesting that we have a saying of "don't judge the book by its cover," but when it comes to the literal situation, the cover actually means so much, even beyond the marketing aspect. It is important to have a good visual representation of your book, because that will often guide the reader on how they think about the story. For example, when I was a child, like many of my peers, I really enjoyed the Percy Jackson books by Rick Riordan. There was a specific series called Heroes of Olympus that was quite popular in my grade. I remember asking my friends the first mental image that came to mind when asked about each book in the series, and almost everyone said something resembling either the design or at least the color of the cover. Like Kidd said, cover designers have the task of creating the first impression a book has on a reader, and clearly, first impressions really stick with you. 

Bosman and Kidd (Tai)

In today's world where we can easily download books on our phones or tablets, the look and feel of a book's cover might seem less important. But, both “Selling Books by Their Gilded Covers” by Julie Bosman and the TED Talk by Chip Kidd discusses the importance of book covers in this day and age where e-books can be conveniently purchased and read on personal devices. Bosman pointed out that attitudes towards book covers with “special effects” have shifted positively in recent years because it helps capture customers’ attention. An example of an effective cover is “1Q84” by Haruki Murakam, which was wrapped in a translucent cover with a young woman looking through. What's surprising is that “1Q84” has sold more hardcover copies than e-books when the trend is usually the opposite. In Kidd’s TED Talk, he explained the difference in the experience of reading a physical copy and an ebook. A physical book has the cover that you can touch, the pages you can flip, and even the smell of the paper and ink, and all these attributes factor into the reading experience. The cover of the book can be especially important and Kidd showed this with a set of books about the Buddha that, when you put them together on your shelf, show a picture of the Buddha getting older.  These kinds of effects can only be experienced with a physical book, and many readers would prefer to buy books with better art, and this is one of the ways that physical books are making a comeback.    

J. Bosman and Chip Kidd Response (Daniel)

        I found the article by Bosman to be quite interesting, as I have noticed an uptake in creatively designed book covers. I personally agree with what Bosman said about how “print books need to be about physical beauty and the pleasures of owning, not just reading.” When it comes to books that I really enjoy and want to personally own, I find myself gravitating towards what I think to be the best-looking cover. I think that the convenience of an ebook is unmatched, but it is always nice to own a beautiful physical copy of a book.

        In the video, it was very interesting to learn about how Kidd approaches the creation of a book cover, as well as see how passionate he is about book design. I loved that one of the examples shown was 1Q84, given what we have previously learned regarding the translation of the text. Lastly, I thought it was very interesting when he mentioned that “once the book designer has read the text, then he has to be an interpreter and a translator,” as it connected to the course content in such a unique way.

J. Bosman and Chip Kidd (Kelly)

 Although I do agree that a lot of people are switching over to ebooks with the popularization of kindles and apps like iBook, but personally, I don't think I could ever switch to digital. However that being said, I also think beautiful and eye-catching book covers are important whether of not there is a threat of complete shift to digital. To me, books are more than just something to read. They are collectibles, something beautiful to display in bookshelves. When I invite people over to my house, I can't point to my iPad and show off my array, I have to have a physical bookshelf. There, we can all grab a book and enjoy it rather than crowding over a screen. I tend to frequent bookstores and I have to admit, attention grabbing book covers (whether it is beautiful or shocking) makes me pick it up. I also like to buy limited edition cover releases of my favorite books and display it and as the author says, "it has to look like something worth buying and worth keeping." Sometimes, I google the different releases of the book and tend to love an older cover much more than the newer cover so I fork up a few extra bucks on eBay to buy it. I firmly believe that book covers, not just its contents, need attention and this tangible quality of books can't simply be replaced by ebooks.

I personally really liked the cover of David Sedaris's Naked. I think the pants into the X-ray was ingenious. Of course we can't display nudity (although that would be quite eye catching to say the least), it kind of plays into the saying of "bone deep fear" which works with the contents being about being afraid of body image.

Comments on a reading and a video (Musashi)

 Bosman's insight into the impact of book cover design on sales was interesting. Switching from the trendy covers back in the day to the modern cleaner, abstract designs, the article made me realize the efforts of the book industry to come up with a strategy for the rise of the popularity of e-books and promoting reminders of the good things of physical books. The video featuring Chip Kidd's cover-making process was very helpful. His creative designs, like one of my favorite movies, Jurassic Park, left a strong impression. The emphasis on covers as a first impression and their role in setting the stage for readers was very crucial. However, the article raises questions about the future of physical books against the convenience of e-books. I think it is inevitable not to read physical books anymore. The argument is that physical books have to weigh more on their tangible feature. While e-books are convenient and practical, the feeling of filling a bookshelf with books is undeniable. The discussion on cover design resonates, as it often has a huge impact on getting my attention to read a few pages and it was an interesting point to think about making the design of book covers crucial.

J. Bosman Reading and Chip Kidd Video (Micah)

 Bosman's article touches on how e-books are a lot more popular than actual books due to the convenience, and why that makes the cover so important. While personally I don't think that a nice cover will make me choose to buy the hard-copy over the e-book, I do agree that having a well-designed cover can go a long way in drawing more people to buy it. A lot of the time, I feel as though people will have no idea what a book is about when coming across it at a store, so if there is an eye catching cover, it will make them want to at least take a look at it. Just for me personally, the convenience of not having to store an e-book and being able to access it anywhere completely outweighs the benefit of the physical feel and look of a hard copy.

Kidd's TED Talk was very insightful to me, as it really broke down how there are many different ways to create a good book cover. For example, the cover of "My Name is Red" tells a story as you pull it out, and "1Q84" conveys different meaning when you take off the cover. Prior to watching his talk, I never realized how creative book covers can be beyond just nice artwork. Another interesting part was learning about the process of how he helped make the Jurassic Park logo. Seeing how a page from a random book he came across at a museum turned into an iconic logo really goes to show the power a creative can have. 

J.Bosman reading and Kidd videoclip (Racky)

 In the reading, Bosman introduces the reasons why the design of the cover of the book is a very critical factor for readers to buy physical books. As technology has been developing, many readers read books via e-books instead of physical books. This is because the e-book is more accessible to carry around, unlike physical books. Besides this reason, readers can change the size of the letter or even the brightness of the screen. These features are specifically for the e-book and are often appreciated by the readers. Then, what can make readers buy physical books? Then, the visual effect is essential.  People often say, "Don't judge a book by its cover," when they explain that no one should judge anything or anyone based on how it appears. But, in the case of attracting readers' attention, the design of a book cover is one of the most critical factors because book cover design can make readers wonder what the author says in the text, and book cover design does not grab readers' attention if it is on e-books.

In the TED talk video clip, one book cover design grabbed my attention. It was a book called "My Name is Red." This book cover is well-designed because readers can see more of the story as they slowly pull the book out. There are a couple on the front of the book. Once readers pull the book out, they can see a big guy staring at the couple. As the readers pull the book out more, there is a person who is aiming for a big guy's head with archery. These subsequent visual effects will not be seen in the e-books, and this is why the book cover design is critical for the physical books.  

J. Bosman Reading and Chip Kidd Video (Matt)

One thing brought up in the reading is how more people are migrating to reading ebooks compared to traditional hard-cover printed-out books because of the convenience. I definitely think that the convenience is nice, but I personally have never been able to read an entire ebook. So I was surprised to see that most of the time there is a larger amount of ebooks purchased compared to physical copies. For someone like me, having a good cover is something I definitely do place a lot of importance on. Admittedly, I do judge a book by its cover, since it really is the first impression that you get of the book. I think the cover really helps to paint a picture in the reader's mind of what type of story and what kind of things could be happening within the book. Having a great cover sets the scene for the reader and allows them to build off of that image in their mind. Designing a great cover is something I never really thought about in particular, but it was really interesting to see in the Chip Kidd video how many different, but all eye-catching covers he was able to design. I thought the coolest cover he showed was the My Name is Red cover since just by taking the book off of the shelf, you get an entire idea of what the story is. Little things like this are something I never realized that there was so much thought and effort put into making these meaningful covers.

Selling Books by their Gilded Covers (Jordan)

 I agree with the reasoning that if e-books are about convenience, then physical books need to put emphasis on the fact that they are physical, to provide a reason for buying them. While e-books are the most practical form of reading, in my opinion, there is something nice about filling up a bookshelf. The article makes me wonder if publishers can truly maintain the relevancy of physical books, or whether they will fall forever into obscurity. 

A good cover design is usually what initially draws me to a book. It may seem shallow, but I think this will apply to many people. Like Chipp brought attention to, it's a first impression. It's what you see before you know anything else about the book, and it's only human nature to make judgments based off this first impression. Despite the phrase "Don't just a book by its cover", people will continue to do so, so the design of the cover becomes of utmost importance. Sometimes I find books that don't seem like a lot of time or effort was put into the cover, and that leaves a negative impression. 

J. Bosman and Book Design Video (Jane)

 I think Bosman brings up a great point about book cover design and its importance in the sale of books. I know when I was in middle school, the dystopian books were a huge trend and had a lot of covers with faces on them. Now, I think I have noticed a shift towards more clean book covers that are more simple and abstract. I know personally, that I love collecting books, and having covers that match a series to having books with beautiful colors on their cover makes the books that much better in my eyes. I have wondered how book companies are doing since the increase in popularity of e-books, so reading this has opened my eyes to the things book industries are doing to counter it and bring back the love for reading physical books.

I really liked the delivery of the video. He took us through the process of making the cover while also keeping it light-hearted which I absolutely loved. He was also humble about his achievements like creating the Jurassic Park logo (which blew my mind that he just drew it out by himself). I think his covers were extremely creative and genuinely made me want to read the book. The manipulation of the book cover and jacket to make the idea of two related things (like for the book Naked and 1Q84) or simply using the synopsis of the book to research cover art (like My Name is Red) was extremely intriguing to me. Overall, it really put into perspective how much work book designers put into their covers for the author.

Book Covers Reading and Video Responses - Grace

BOOK COVERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Selling Books by Their Guilded Covers

    

    As an avid reader of physical books myself, I very much agree with the sentiments expressed in this article. With the rise of e-books and their enticingly low prices, it is getting more and more difficult to find other bookworms who have an extensive physical collection, so innovation is needed on the publishers' part in order to entice readers back into the realm of print media. Publishers have responded to this issue by aestheticizing book covers in order to attract readers to print media. I always love to visit the bookstore and scan the covers for my next read, and this new movement to improve book covers is something that I am currently enjoying immensely. I eat up this new generation of book covers and believe that they contribute to the reading experience in a positive way. However, I do see a downside to this aestheticization of books: the price. For someone who hasn't heard of a particular work, a pleasant aesthetic alone may still not be enough to justify a hefty price tag. For example, many classics such as Dracula, are available for only $0.99 on Kindle. However, my copy of Dracula (pictured above), which places heavy emphasis on making the book look pretty, cost me $20. For those who aren't heavily invested in a particular work would most likely just choose the cheaper option. In addition to the Kindle version being cheaper, once the consumer clicks "Buy Now", the consumer has instant access to the book. Meanwhile, the reader who opts for the physical copy has to locate the book, potentially pay for shipping, and then wait for the book to arrive/wait till they get home in order to read the book. So, while aestheticizing books has the potential to attract a larger audience of readers, they are also in and of themselves luxury items in comparison to e-books.

The Hilarious Art of Book Design

    This TedTalk explored what goes into designing book covers. Through his talk, Chip Kidd draws upon his 20+ years of experience as a book cover designer to hammer home the central mission of book cover design: What do the stories look like? This is a question that I, as a reader and not a designer, had never thought about until now. However, now that I have watched his talk, I wholeheartedly agree with this mission and have begun to notice this idea when I briefly glanced over at the cover of a book that I am currently reading. In addition, It was fascinating to learn about the different techniques employed by graphic designers in order to design book covers that attract readers whilst conveying the overarching message of the work. For example, when designing the cover for Michael Crichton's iconic novel Jurassic Park, Kidd incorporated the design of signs common throughout wildlife preserves and national parks in order to reflect the animal park setting of the novel. Kidd's design has now become a pop-culture icon  worldwide. After watching Kidd's talk, I have gained a newfound appreciation for the work of book cover designers and how much hard work they must put in to their work.