Let me preface this with this: I'm not calling out anyone in particular, this is all just trends I've noticed throughout my years on this platform and I wanted to say something about it
Dear fellow fanfic writers:
MAKE YOUR COVERS C L E A R
I know you wanna use effects so they're more eye catching, I do too, but too many makes it almost impossible to understand what your fic is about.
Consult a trusted friend before settling on your final design p l e a s e. Ask for feedback. If they can't tell what your fic is going to be about, neither can your audience.
The title needs to be clear and legible (and actually on the cover. P l e a s e. It's the first thing they see and I personally tend to scroll past covers with no text and others might do the same)
AND for those of y'all using fanart for covers, give the artist proper credit or don't use it. "Credit to the artist" doesn't count, give their username and where to find them. Please. If you love the fanart, support the creators by giving them the credit and potential audience they deserve. If the source you found it on doesn't credit them either, don't use that source (looking at you, Pinterest)
Obviously this is just one opinion, my opinion, and I don't mean to come across as mean or rude, but I wanted to offer my input since I've seen an influx of difficult to read covers and thought I'd offer my input. My covers are very basic, yes, and I'm not saying I have the most optimal strategy, but I try to find a good compromise.
