Sisterhood of Dune book cover project

[BabY_ShoWeR]

Hello, I'm not an active user of this forum, but I know it's been around and has a good community so I thought I could get some help. I'm not a huge Dune nut, I loved the games and I read the 1st book, and watched the movie(unfortunately) so it's not really a lot considering how vast the Duniverse is. I always check the site to see if there's any news for a new Dune game.

I'm about 6 month from graduating on my Digital Arts & Design degree and I thought it would be a good project to make a book cover for the upcoming book and add it to my portfolio, but I got it critiqued this month and the main thing to change is the illustration. The text I placed on the back is just placeholder and I'll deal with it later.

Since the book hasn't even come out and I don't have that much knowledge on the Duniverse, I wanted illustrate something that kinda projected the overall feel of the book in relation to the title, so I made the Bene Gesserit with all mystical expressions. Now, they told me it was kind of something only fans could understand and it wasn't stylistically adequate, so my goal is to make something attractive that would make anybody pick the book in a shelve, despite the book having a very specific audience.

What I need you guys to help me with, if it's not too much to ask for, is if there's something else from the Duniverse that I'm not aware of that I could depict on the cover, possibly that made sense in relation to the vague given plot and also looked awesome, like some kind of ship or entity that I'm not aware of. Thanks for your aid, here is the cover as it is right now:

And don't try to steal it or anything like that btw -_-

[Andrew]

Like the font of "Dune", although the D could be difficult to read for some people. Dunno if make it point more upward, but I'd say you didn't because you wanted it to look similar to the U/N with the big space.

[athanasios]

True it is not clear. DUNE fonts need some tint. Gray doesn't help.

For skin and planet your yellow is sickening and very bright. More orange/brown (H/S/L -3/ 0to25 / -20to-25 % )?

And the first lady is very scaring-and a bit ugly.

[SandChigger]

I actually like the "Dune" font, FWIW.

Ditch the Bald Bene Gesserit; that's an image from the Lynch movie, not the books. Then again...

"if there's something else from the Duniverse that I'm not aware"

Don't worry about that too much: there's a LOT about the Duniverse that the two hacks writing these books aren't aware of, either!

(But do get a newer picture of Herbert. He's much, much older now, and looks more the dotard. And I imagine Anderson has much less hair now.)

[gryphon]

Same here for the font. Looks great.

For the sisters. I'd go for one image. So maybe an half faded out sister's face to keep it mistical.

[ErasOmnius]

Gotta have the worm on the cover for sales. Brian and Kevin know, and like that. Add a worm behind the sisters coming up to eat them as they stand on a desert outcropping on Arrakis.

[Dante]

While I am loathe to take any line of reasoning that works with the new books, the title is "Sisterhood of Dune." The Bene Gesserit were never "of Dune," in the sense of pertaining to Arrakis, unless you count Chapterhouse and that's a bit of a stretch. The title, then, is a bit misleading. But you could make it work.

The sisterhood did maintain a presence on Dune through such characters as Margot Fenring and Jessica Atreides. They were visitors, however, as were most others. However, there is one Bene Gesserit whom I most strongly associate with Arrakis. Sayyadina Ramallo, rogue agent of the Missionaria Protectiva (if I remember correctly), was Bene Gesserit but also very much fremen. And there is nothing quite so associated with Dune as the fremen. I'd recommend looking up the passages that concern her in the original novel. An image of her - how you feel she would look like based on the description in Dune - would make for a good cover I think. If you're planning on keeping the Dune-ball part of the image, which I think would work well to light her from beneath, giving that whole mysterious-seer image type thing.

Alternatively, there is one other character that could work (I honestly think that focusing on a single character is a better idea than generic robed women). Sheeana, of Heretics, the girl who was actually from Arrakis, who grew up to be Bene Gesserit. Kind of an opposite of Ramallo, in a way, with the advantage that she can be pictured youthful. An image with a young woman on the front would probably sell better than one with an old woman, society being what it is. >_>

Again, looking up the passages that concern Sheeana in Heretics would prove useful here. I'd recommend avoiding Chapterhouse because by that time she's... different. And I'd recommend avoiding the "sequels" because I have no reason to dislike you and do not wish upon you the physical pain that would result from reading them.

Hope this helps. Or at least provides food for thought.

[BabY_ShoWeR]

Ok, thanks for the feedback guys. If there's anything else please tell me, I'm not ready to make a redesign yet.

[athanasios]

BTW, faces can be simple like you did, but planet will need more detailed terrain and similarly font can have some sort of subtle skin unless it gets printed with metallic ink which was not your aim anyway.

[Dante]

Actually I thought the coloured ball approach was quite a nice touch. Not only does terrain rather fade with distance (especially when it's mostly sand), but if pictured with Ramallo or Sheeana it could just as easily represent a glowglobe.

Metaphor! It's fun stuff.

[athanasios]

That is clever. But for those who know nothing about DUNE it wouldn't help. Or to put it other words: You cannot attract many converts into the Dune Universe that way-Or more money into the pockets of BH and KJA as the duneticker might say ;-)

Now a question:

Shouldn't the sisters have blue melange eyes?

[HarryCanyon]

So you new to the Duniverse? please read the other books to get into more of the story as you'll explore into more of it's stories including how Paul's son becames the new fastest thing on Mobius to Alia becoming a baddie.

[BabY_ShoWeR]

Nah.... it was almost a chore to read the 1st one, too hard to understand, very complex writing, I barely understood it. English is not my first language and I've felt more comfortable reading other books. But yeah I'm still experimenting, I think the melagne eyes would ve aesthetically attracting

[gryphon]

Nah.... it was almost a chore to read the 1st one, too hard to understand, very complex writing, I barely understood it. English is not my first language and I've felt more comfortable reading other books.

You could use a translated copy in your own language.

My first contact with the Dune series has been 6 books in Dutch. I bought the English version of all six shortly after I finished Chapterhouse.

[BabY_ShoWeR]

Hey guys.... is there any kind of iconic logo in the dune lore? one that belongs to a clan or to a big race or society?

And are multiple moons/planets visible in the sky during day/night in Arrakis?

[Lawliet]

Hey guys.... is there any kind of iconic logo in the dune lore? one that belongs to a clan or to a big race or society?

And are multiple moons/planets visible in the sky during day/night in Arrakis?

I don't think there's any iconic logo in the Duniverse, but Arrakis is orbited by 2 moons and they're visible during night.