A Tribute to My Son
In case you didn’t see this (and if you are so inclined to read it) here is a piece I’ve written about my son the graduate. You can read it here in the “Food for Thought” section.
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My New eReader
When eReaders began rising in popularity there was a cry that rang out from book designers, a concern that eBooks would somehow destroy the market for cover design. I held all along to the belief that whether one was designing for a book cover that was to become a printed piece or a digital file that would be viewed electronically, well designed cover art would still be a necessary thing. Besides cover art that appears on an eReader’s screen, art is also needed for the online store where the book is being sold. Just visit Amazon’s, B&N’s or Border’s websites to see for yourself. Most of us still browse by cover attraction.
Having said all that I had not taken the jump into buying an eReader for myself until very recently. Besides wanting to better understand these gizmos so I’d better know how to design covers for them, I really wanted one for my personal reading. After some extensive research I wound up getting the Barnes & Noble Nook Color. I like it very much. It more than meets the needs of an eReader.
Sitting on the platform of the Android OS the Nook Color has the features of a full touch screen tablet. It has some nice apps and more are being developed. It’s wifi enabled so I can download books, PDFs and other files either from the internet or from my computer. The cost is more than the Kindle or the regular Nook, but it is more on par of a smaller iPad (with a smaller price tag).
That’s my two cents review for the Nook Color. I’m looking forward to getting into it more and enjoying the convenience and portability of such a device.
Filed Under "book cover design", Amazon's Kindle, Apple iPad, eReaders, Nook
What is “Work for Hire?”
I’ve had several people ask me if what I do is considered “work for hire.” The short answer is “No. ‘Work for hire’ has to do with an employer-employee work situation.” In more detail Wikipedia provides this more comprehensive answer:
Work for hire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A work made for hire (sometimes abbreviated as work for hire or WFH) is an exception to the general rule that the person who actually creates a work is the legally-recognized author of that work. According to copyright law in the United States and certain other copyright jurisdictions, if a work is “made for hire”, the employer—not the employee—is considered the legal author. In some countries, this is known as corporate authorship. The incorporated entity serving as an employer may be a corporation or other legal entity, an organization, or an individual.
Filed Under "book cover design", Uncategorized
Ta-Da! The New and Improved Aldrich Design Site
We’re up and running (obviously, because you’re here after all!).
WELL, HERE IT IS. The same site but only different. The same but so much better. Much better. Okay, so at first look there doesn’t appear too much difference from my old site and this “new” one. Most of the newness was done in the background, way back there where the gnomes and elves create HTML, PHP, CSS and LMNOP. In other words the architecture of the site has been changed so that I can better manage things (and update the site more than once a year!).
For your convenience we have included my blog of infrequent posts in the site itself. Don’t you just love technology? I hope to keep things updated more, well, more frequently. The new framework of the site allows me to update much easier than before. And it all comes down to Keeping It Simple (Thanks, Jayne!).
Check out the Galleria page to see some of my more recent work.
Thanks to Paul Squillace for all your web genius help! Contact Paul for your own website development needs.
Filed Under "book cover design", marketing, Promotion
Pausing While We Rebuild
We interrupt these infrequent posts to pause while my website and blog become one. All done by the magic of the internet and Paul Squillace (pronounced Skewlacchhee, not Squillace) the Long Island Web Wizard. In the meantime please be patient (at least more than me) and enjoy a cup of coffee or your favorite refreshing beverage.
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And now for something completely different…
I still work for a living. Really! But during the holidays I had so much fun with JibJab. Upload the photo of a loved one and “poof,” you’re ready to make your own wild JibJab video. Believe it or not I find these crazy escapes from reality a great source for fueling my creative engines (either that it’s a tendency to be easily distracted!). But anyway, I hope you get a kick out of my wife and I starring in… Deb and Dave on Ice!
Happy New Year!
I am grateful for the work this past year from my author, publishing and other design clients. A blessed new year to all. —Dave
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Great article: Do authors really need to promote their own books?
Many authors that I work with have a hard time with promoting their books or themselves for that matter. I can well understand because I often have a hard time promoting myself and my design services. Whether it’s due to a lack of confidence (I’m really not that good), or feeling “I’m too humble to toot,” or just that we never seem to have enough time, there’s usually something that gets in the way of tooting our own horns.
First of all, if you want to sell that book and get your message out, no one is better qualified to do it than you. Whether you’re an established author, with the good fortune of having the backing of a large publishing house, or an independent self-publisher marketing by grassroots and viral campaigning, you have to toot!
Author Mary DeMuth has a great article on the subject that’s worth the read. Read it and go ahead and blow that horn. It’s okay!
Dave
Filed Under "book cover design", Promotion
Keeping It Simple!
Keys to Living an Uncomplicated Life
“Jayne DeRouin is an ordinary woman living an ordinary life and just like everyone else, she’s had to face and overcome many of the challenges and obstacles of life.”
That’s the beginning back cover copy on my latest book design project, “Keeping It Simple!” by Jayne DeRouin. Jayne lives in my home state of Rhode Island and I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know her and her husband David in person. They both have been a joy to work with.
The premise of her book, keeping life simple by finding freedom in the balance of the physical and spiritual, was the very springboard for coming up with the cover. What could say simplicity and freedom better than a child flying a kite at the beach? The color palette was kept simple as well. I dominated it with a soft blue sky to create the feeling of tranquility and the spot of red in the kite gives an active point of interest.
Now we’re working on other materials – a media kit, letterhead, business card, post card, and other items for her to use to promote the book.
I wish Jayne the very best. Both her and David have been helping me with Keeping It Simple!
Update – November 11, 2010: Keeping It Simple is now available on Amazon.com or through Heart & Soul Publishing (where you can get an author signed copy of the book).
Filed Under "book cover design"
Where did the summer go?
I’ve been rather quiet here since the summer. Been busy with life and well, life.
I’ve had some interesting and fun design jobs though and I’ll post them soon. IN THE MEANTIME here’s a video I created for my own (and my old art school alumni’s) pleasure.
Enjoy.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKHQx-ygaNM&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&hd=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01]
Postnote: My old alma matta was the late, great Vesper George School of Art (fondly known as VGU to its alumni, although it never reached university status). Sadly the school closed its doors in the 80′s. It was located on St. Botolph Street in the Back Bay area of Boston and is now condominiums. I miss the school, but the area has never looked more beautiful.
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