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.