At long, long last… a women’s fiction title that hasn’t resorted to a headless woman, romantic urban purple or any of the other slavishly followed trends in the genre.
Instead, this is a cover that treats its potential readers as intelligent beings with a sense of humour and an eye for good design. And by doing so, it gives itself enormous impact on a crowded shelf.
The designer has, quite rightly, let the title do the talking, as this is what resonates so cleverly with anyone with a family. This allows for a clean and bold approach.
We have two quibbles, though. The first is the girliness of the hand at the top, which suggests loss of nerve about doing something so different. It’s a shame, as to make it more neutral would have given this book One Day-style crossover appeal to both men and women.
We’d also question the need for the strapline here. It does nothing to explain the title and clutters up the design. Again, it feels as though someone at Hodder has had a panic about being too bold - as many publishers seem to do these days, judging by the recent proliferation of straplines on fiction. In this case, the title is absolutely strong enough to carry this book and attract readers on its own.
But overall, this is a big success both on the shelf and online. It’s perfect, too, for getting recognition on the daily commute as it looks so striking and original. Nice work.
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