Thursday, February 12, 2009

Hello Designers...

No, this isn't Iman taking over on my blog (though I hope people are watching the Canadian Project Runway... Iman has managed to work in so many David Bowie references that I'm basically sitting there week after week begging them to get the man on the show!!) This is actually an appeal to Lost fans reading this. I need your help!

So here's the sitch: the cover of my season 5 book is due soon; it has to be designed months in advance of the book coming out, because it goes in the catalogue and then out to sites like Amazon for pre-orders. For season 4, the lateness of the book meant the season was actually completely finished, so the concept was easy. But I have to come up with a concept that encapsulates season 5... after only five episodes.

I've suggested using a jungle superimposed over a cityscape, but with the flash effect to make it look like it's about to time jump. I've suggested a compass where the watch was on the season 4 book. I've even suggested a frozen donkey wheel, but was told if we put that above the title it'll probably look like the steering wheel on a pirate ship. Ha! :)

So... I'm wondering if there's anyone out there with some ideas or design sense they could pass my way. What do you think should be on the cover? I wish I could go to the designer and say, "OK... I want something that would evoke people unstuck in time, and I need an idea of history repeating itself and reincarnation in there. And if you could... maybe a frozen donkey wheel?" But I just know the look I'll get for THAT one.

I've even joked with my editor about doing a shattered or skipping record... but I don't want to lose the casual fans with a reference that's so difficult only the diehards would get it. And it'll look like a collector's guide to old vinyl.

So if you have any thoughts, email me off-list. I'd love to hear them! :) I have no design sense whatsoever. (You should have seen the sketch of my idea I sent to my editor today... my 4-year-old looked at my palm trees with the frozen donkey wheel below it and asked why I had drawn a row of chickens with their bums sticking out. Sigh.)