OT : Is this the WORST book design ever?

AI and our human future by Henry Kissinger and co. At first I thought this was just a placeholder image for the actual book cover. Nope. It's the actual design.

I'll buy it for the content but it'll look... Weird on my shelf

https://www.amazon.com/Age-I-Our-Human-Future/dp/0316273805

I personally think that the best book design ever is the FS LE book of common prayer. THIS on the other hand may just be the absolute worst.

Any thoughts? Has anyone else been unfortunate enough to see a more eye burning book design?

So sad for such a nice book...

Lots of comments here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/158112

>1 MrLuck: Looks like it took someone all of 5 minutes to knock that one off. The colours are quite soothing though.

However, I think it's beaten in all-round terrible design by these recent UK Le Carré covers. Hard to believe that someone out there thought they were a good idea. They're all awful but surely these two take the top prizes:

- Ok, so it's by Le Carré, but what's the title of the book?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07B4QY11B

- well, the title(s) are clear on this one but which one is it??
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005VEELE6

The sadly defunct Tutis remains unchallenged. How they can have failed to conquer the publishing world defeats me.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hvV0JHPYX_I/Sx2aRGaqfnI/AAAAAAAAGyM/KDN50KoDQJM/s400/8...

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yquZUsax3R0/UGpQrdFuzoI/AAAAAAAALn8/O3E9m35AEMY/s400/H...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hvV0JHPYX_I/Sx2Uv8czdPI/AAAAAAAAGxE/6qVkP-qaAjQ/s400/r...

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hvV0JHPYX_I/Sx2aPVZTzXI/AAAAAAAAGyE/H9Dq3WOwX5s/s400/5...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hvV0JHPYX_I/SpXFS9K_hfI/AAAAAAAAGGA/gItED5dq_ag/s400/d...

... or

http://causticcovercritic.blogspot.com/2012/10/humiliating-henry-james.html

and

http://causticcovercritic.blogspot.com/2009/12/tutis-balls.html

for a few more preserved classics. There's quite a nice selection on ABE, including (at the time of writing) The Hound of the Baskervilles:

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30458748988

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?p=1&spo=0&kn=tutis+digi...

And I see they also did Guerber's The Story of the Greeks:

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31060431331

Deep pockets needed for The Wolf Hunters,

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30337384433 ,

I dread to think what The Turn of the Screw might fetch at auction if a copy turned up.

>3 Levin40: >4 terebinth:
Good grief! These are all appalling!

>4 terebinth: They always made me laugh. I assume the covers were chosen by someone who either had a wicked sense of humour (and no shares in their own company) or who didn't speak a word of English nor had read a line of any of the books, even in translation.

>4 terebinth:, >6 cronshaw:

I think the John Quincy Adams is my favourite, but the overall standard is very high.

>1 MrLuck: Perhaps the cover was generated by an AI? Though I think an algorithm probably would have done better.

>3 Levin40: Those are terrible. I can't tell what the designer was trying to achieve. Even the font choices are wrong for the color palette. It's like a masterclass of what not to do for a book cover.

>4 terebinth: Dear lord these are hilarious! It takes someone armed only with image search, no budget or training, and a disregard for copyright to produce covers like this.

I like how when you get a nice image, it's a shame to use it on just one book:

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30841374760
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30742242144

Or when you use covers on two titles that would be at least slightly more appropriate on the other:

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31126095928
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31129173009

But I think I'm most perplexed by The Scarlet Letter. What even is that? The Dune Roller?

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31069796265

This has many more in the same vein, including a special appearance by Brad Pitt as Dorian Gray.

>10 AMindForeverVoyaging: good grief they're hilarious. I particularly like 'Mrs. Dolloway' as a fashion model on what looks like a French country road.

>4 terebinth: What on Earth? This is so bad it feels intentional. Like the Blade Runner poster with a guy running on a knife.

I didn't expect to laugh so much at bad book covers. It seems that some designers had no idea whatsoever what these books were about.

And yes, the one that started this all off, while not ludicrously funny, is just simply bad.

>9 Shadekeep: I like how when you get a nice image, it's a shame to use it on just one book:

Yes, when you think about it just about any title could be well represented by a kitten in a briefcase...

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30646093190

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QLjXIH5h5UQ/UGpQOvu8g9I/AAAAAAAALnM/ff4dmesE-Es/s1600/...

I'm the proud owner of several Tutis volumes, including Treasure Island with the cloned cyclists, bought when Amazon's pricing algorithm led to parcels of six or seven titles being available for not much more than £10. Beyond the frivolous joy, the publisher introduced me to Arthur Machen's Hill of Dreams - I'm not sure the cover quite captures the atmosphere of the book -

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30230257551 -

and, via a forgotten novel, to the work of A.C. Benson which now occupies a couple of my library shelves, so I've plenty for which to be grateful.

>14 terebinth: Yes, when you think about it just about any title could be well represented by a kitten in a briefcase...

It truly is universal. Now I want that cover on Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent.

>14 terebinth: >15 Shadekeep: I'd recommend In Search of Schrodinger's Cat, but that would verge on being appropriate. Maybe The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. We all know it was the cats.

>11 cronshaw: That photo is probably one of the most famous fashion photos ever.

"The black and white gelatin slide shows Dior’s 19 year old house model Renee Breton modelling the ‘Bar Suit’ in 1947. It was taken by German fashion photographer Willy Magwald."

https://www.vogue.com/article/christian-dior-bar-jacket-a-brief-history

>17 MsMixte: thanks for that info, I hadn't a clue it was a famous image. I know as much about fashion as I do of hot air balloon basket weaving.

Mrs. Dolloway said she would buy the flowers herself. For Lucy couldn't breathe in her Bar Suit.

>18 cronshaw: The interesting thing about the use of that photo for the cover is that had the novel been set 20 years later, it would have made a great cover and fit very well in the context of Mrs Dalloway.

>3 Levin40: I agree on the colors. They are very soothing and nice. Those examples are hilariously bad! 😂 Nice contestants.