Book Cover Critique

Boy’s Life by Robert McCammon

This book cover’s strong use of contrasting colors are eye-catching.  A bicycle, devoid of rider, rushes toward the viewer head-on, leaving behind what appears to be a fog-shrouded swamp. The bold diagonals of it’s headlight beam draw the eye toward the vortex, where the subtle mirage of an eye inexplicably winks from the lens. These are surely elements representative of the story.

My overall impression is of a good read - untethered adventure tinged with mystery, seen through the eyes of a  boy’s imagination.

That being said, I must also comment on the similar size and hue of the text of title and author. There is no heirarchy here - no contrast.  The two elements fairly cancel one another out. While the author’s name seems to float unanchored, the title feels embedded into the scene. The backlit title’s perspective distortion and cast of long shadows could have added further interest and depth, but instead sets the design further off-kilter as the two elements battle for heirarchy.