More of a visual catalogue rather than an actual artbook, “Designers Of Anime, Comics, Light Novels & Game” compiles the portfolio work of 250 Japanese graphic design companies specializing in Manga cover design, as well as package design for anime dvd/blu-rays.
The bulk of the content goes to manga cover designs, of which there is a massive market in Japan. For me the book serves as an excellent reference for tons of great illustration/manga art all under one cover, as well as exposure to any particular manga I might be interested in picking up.
(above left) Studio “These Days” with portfolio covering Inoue’s Vagabond cover art design, as well as the box/package designs for Ghost In The Shell SAC, Patlabor TV series blu-rays. In such a competitive industry, the package designs are almost always superlative, ie you want to get your hands on said product once you see it.
“Cover Designs For Japanese Games/Anime/Manga//Novels” catalogue details :
Dimensions – 28.2 x 21.2 x 2.4 cm
Soft cover, 288 pages
Full Color, in Japanese
Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon CA | Buy From Amazon UK
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September 1st, 2012 at 10:34 am
That’s a pretty neat idea. There are dozens of fantastic game cover arts that I’ve seen. Usually, the Western publisher ruins it and they never even bother with reversible covers. Different markets, different tactics, I guess. Here are some I really like:
http://hardcoregaming101.net/dinosaur/dinosaur.jpg
http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/assets/uploads/2011/05/Dark-Souls-PS3-Box-Art-JP-685×794.jpg
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l1ryhzvUhT1qbj9xwo1_500.jpg
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/08/kororinpa_boxart_is_lush.jpg
And a case where the Western boxart was just as good, arguably better:
http://wiimedia.ign.com/wii/image/article/107/1076179/sin-punishment-star-successor-us-box-art-revealed-20100309101625845_640w.jpg
September 3rd, 2012 at 6:13 pm
I’ve seen the book at Kinokuniya and IDEA magazine’s triple features on anime/manga graphic designs came into my mind. I skimmed through the book and I don’t think I’ve seen commentary notes on graphic design process.
Japanese graphic designs on anime/manga cover packaging always look fabulous. From typography to packaging materials, it subtly implies inner content without being too obvious.One reason why I keep buying Japanese version of books and videos instead of American edition.