Judging a Book by its Cover
Category: Design...
Posted Monday, October 23, 2006 at 01:02 PM [GMT-6]

I'm a sucker for one-trick-pony software: little applications that do one thing, and do it well. I've got a program that does nothing but jiggle the cursor at predetermined intervals to keep my computer from going to sleep if I'm not using it. I have another that lets me rename files in batch mode. And, of course, there's the application that allows you to create comic strips [creativity not included].

Thus I'm intrigued by Insofta's Cover Commander, a program that allows you to create "virtual covers" for books, CDs, product boxes and other packaging, etc. Some publishers are choosing to use it to create images of their book covers instead of photographing the real thing, because the results are better.

The only downside is that it's a Windows-only program which means that I'll not be using it until (1) I get a new Intel Mac or (2) I actually have a book, CD, DVD, or other product package that needs showcasing, whichever comes last. In other words, it's not likely to ever become relevant for my purposes, unless I choose to write and publish an exposé of the Midland blogging scene. But if you're an author or product designer, Cover Commander might be of use.