I paid 5 designers on Fiverr to create a cover for the same book

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Hey! I'm Mel, an author and publisher of YA dystopian, sci-fi, and fantasy books.

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[fiverr]

Love seeing how 5 designers each brought their unique vision to the same project! Incredible creativity from our freelancers! 💚

[strange_taster]

The ai one for 100 dollars was a goddamn robbery

[ivectord]

None of them gave me the feel of leaving technology behind - rather the opposite; the covers seem to show the young people emerging from the woods and heading toward technology.

[shay]

So you're telling me that people selling AI trash are making money, meanwhile real artists/ illustrators like me are struggling to find work? Wow, fantastic.

[AndSoWeLaughed]

I’m confused as to why people thought E was 10 dollars because it was “simple” and took less than 10 mins to make. E actually understood the assignment, and C didn’t. Why is it red with bats? It feels horror and not sci fi. It’s a really great cover. I really loved A. And whilst I got the love for D, the cabin looks like a UFO slash tent. Which could’ve been cool if that was in the brief but I personally don’t get it.

[hastwper]

I am a designer and specifically a book cover designer and I'd say "A" is the most well-thought cover in the list and "D" might look good on the screen but trust me, those colours would not look good on the print and book are the physical products at the end so you wanna stay away from D and also that AI generated cover got 100$ is still paining me in the head lol

[oleksiyraiu]

I cant believe the Ai generated image went for $100 and it does not even look like anything that "designer" has in the portfolio, and that designer has a better fiverr score than the $300 designer whose art is amazing. $100 is just a scammer. How come they have that score?!

[faeshyye]

i’m so sad E didn’t get its flowers!! the computer elements mixed with the trees is such a simple yet effective way to go! it wasn’t my favorite but it was definitely designed with intention, so it makes me a little sad to see everyone value it so low 😭

[lonniereads]

watching this as a designer was so rough but at least i got some insight into how non-artists look at and think about designs

[liav]

B and D are 100% AI generated, not even parts of it and then edited together. It’s whole thing entirely. They wrote two quotes on a program and charged you a ridiculous amount of money for it. As an illustrator, I am so tired.

[catherinecalaway]

'A' is an amazing cover. Very impactful and eye catching. I will say, if I saw it on the shelf one of the first things I would be doing would be to look if books 1-4 were there, lol.

[borismelchior]

I definitely prefer the A cover. It really speaks directly on its own. I mean, as soon as you see the cover, you immediately have a spark of an idea of what the book is all about.

[tqxtcts]

I'd hate to break it to everyone, but I'm 99% sure D is AI as well. There's something about how people are standing, their backs towards the camera that's very telling of AI. Also, idk who would make the conscious choice to make a "cabin" which serves the purpose of removing kids from technology look like some Star Wars tent? There's also the symmetry that makes me think it's AI. It's not fully symmetrical, but the two kids, the two trees, the hills, the patches of dark, they're all equally as far from the centre. Please don't use D.

[mer]

Definitely A. It's clever and has a good mix of all the elements you mentioned, somehow showing the sci-fi element as a backdrop while clearly indication that the setting and mood are more about the remote area + the color use is just amazing. I'm floored and I can totally see why it was the most expensive.

[erikjulkin]

B and D are both AI-generated, imho (I use a variety of tools, so I recognize the shading and lighting styles of AI), possibly with some post-editing and repainting. This video is a great showcase that authors are not necessarily good designers, and I don't mean that in a bad way. We are storytellers; that's our craft. It's good to hire a professional for designing covers or at least listen to some advice from someone with skill and experience. I love how E layered the cabin, woods, and the sci-fi city—maybe not the best fit for YA, but definitely a thoughtful design. A seems like a mystery or crime novel. B is just trash, in my opinion. C gives off a creepy horror vibe, D is solid (but I dont like the colors much), and E is great. However, I don't think any of them fit the theme and genre very well. Great video, very educational for everyone with a bit of self-reflection. I personally struggle with listening to advice about designs and visual art (and I am beginner visual artist myself), especially font placement, because the initial idea I, as an author, have is not always as eye-catching and appealing as a cover should be.

[yukiko]

A small issue on a.i. detectors. Is if an artist is used too feed an art a.i. generator. The a.i. detector will claim the artist used a.i..

[MyLittelProblem]

Okay, "A" looks the best imo, it's striking and dramatic, I would love to have a book with this cover and a poster. "B" gives off too much of AI vibes and also looks like some teenage dystopia novel "teens against aliens" or "Divergent in the woods". "C" is just Japanese vampires. "D" needs some color correction, but it looks interesting. "E" is actually more interesting the more you look at it. I personally would invert colors: cabin should be black, when lighter wood, then cityscape and the background as motherboard.
My vote is for A
Also, I don't know how did you get in my recs, but it looks fun

[Neroism_]

It may be because I’m used to tech but E is certainly truly impressive too. The writings is actually thought out because it is resembling motherboards! I loved it the moment I saw it together with A, it was sad to me people thought it was the $10 one when I could tell it was one of the expensive ones because of the detail :(

[Equited]

I wouldn't put much stock in AI detectors. They're prone to false positives. I've seen plenty of artists have their works flagged as containing AI despite testing decade-old pieces. I've even tried running an illustration I hand-made at different parts of the process, from sketch to final. The more polish I added, the more it became 'detected' as AI.
As for the covers, B is definitely AI, but I wouldn't be surprised if D is as well. It has a similar finish to other Dall-E images. Additionally, if you put the style aside, D has a very similar composition to B. They likely wrote a similar prompt based on your description.

[BooksWithStephanie]

Idk why everyone is hating on E lol it's may favorite. I love how it incorporated the trees to show nature and the sci-fi esque structures to show it was also sci-fi and the color pallet is good for a creepier vibe. And it looks soft sci-fi to me. But A isn't that bad. It would be my second choice.