Response Assignment Two
James Klapper, ART 333
It’s interesting how the world is becoming increasingly more geared towards digital experiences. The physicality of the book is not quite as important as it used to be with the emergence of ipads and ebooks. Craig Mod brings up a good point that designers need to adapt to the situation by considering both the cover page and the function of text in a different light. In my experience, buying a kindle edition of a book on Amazon is not so much about what the cover looks like, but more focused on the customer reviews listed below the product. Mod discusses how in the past the cover functioned as a way of advertising the contents of the book and getting potential readers excited about the story. Just as a film poster persuades moviegoers to go to the theater, the book cover gives consumers a glimpse into the world the author has created. With ebooks, this physical cover is not the focal point anymore as pointed out by Mod. After all, a Kindle device automatically opens up to the very first chapter, skipping all of the artwork and copyright information. I don’t particularly like this because as an artistic individual, I very much enjoy admiring the cover. I feel that it is an important element in setting the tone for the story I’m about to read. Mod points out that it is crucial that designers figure out a way to incorporate covers in the digital space. Something interesting, but also related: As I was browsing the Amazon website this weekend, I noticed something a bit unusual, at least in my mind. Within the book section of site was a trailer for an upcoming book by an author I had never heard of before. At first I thought it was a bit silly to make a promotional video since it’s a book, not a film. However, thinking more about it made me realize that the trailer operates similarly to a cover. It advertises the contents of the book and fits in rather nicely with the digital space. With the rise of YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu, many people are able to regularly consume video content, so introducing book trailers allows the act of reading to compete on a similar level.