As you may recall, I put out a call for help last December asking readers to offer their suggestions on the cover for CARTOON MODERN. Well, Chronicle and I took everybody’s suggestions, gave them due consideration, and then did something completely different, though I have a feeling that everybody’s comments did help instill a stronger sense of direction in finding an approach. Also, as I discovered, the cover is the one part of the book where everybody at Chronicle wants to have their say. It was a true balancing act trying to achieve a cover that pleased me as well as the folks at Chronicle. Here’s a tip of the hat to Chronicle designer/art director Brett MacFadden, who had to take in a lot of different opinions, including way too many from me, and somehow manage to pull it all together into an elegant package.

Before I unveil the cover, here’s an interesting fact I learned about Chronicle Books which I did not previously know: Chronicle has a ‘cover board,’ a mysterious group of individuals that I know very little about, except that they really really like the color yellow. And I mean, REALLY.

I’d love to hear everybody’s opinions on the cover—positive, negative and everything in between. (PS: The image quality will improve in the final printed version.)

The front cover

The full wrap (click on it to enlarge)