Let me be the first to admit that I actually despise running for exercise or recreation. For those of you who are avid runners, major kudos to you, because I feel like every time a pair of running shoes and I hit the pavement or treadmill, it’s like my legs are screaming, “Why, why are you doing this to me?! Why do you hate me so much?“
Yet it’s covers like these that make me give the notion of running a second thought. But only for like, a millisecond.
The cover art for Wendelin Van Draanen’s The Running Dream makes me want to send a fan letter to the art director, designer, and editor responsible for visualizing such a simple and dreamy (see what I did there?!) piece of art for its story.
It’s one thing to hand over a cover with a generous amount of negative space and slap a one-word title in Helvetica Neue on it. It’s quite another to paint a canvas that has gentle movement and inspiration written all over it in shoelaces and simplicity. The Running Dream’s cover doesn’t feel presumptuous. It’s not trying to be something that it’s not. It doesn’t seem to want to do anything but tell its story, not caring whether its audience is YA, MG, or adult.
I’ll delve a little deeper into an analysis of the title’s typeface (because, you know, it’s fun). The fact that it’s a handwritten typeface (and not Helvetica Neue) speaks volumes to me. It personalizes the story. I can imagine that I’m about to open a journal and read an intimate account of Jessica’s struggles after she loses her leg in a car accident. I can know from this cover what her life was all about before that accident. And while I know that struggles are guaranteed to follow, the sparseness of the cover and choice of white expanse actually makes me feel hopeful.
See? This is what a cover with nothing but 6 words and shoes on it can do to me.
Seriously.
I love love love this typeface, but my favorite part of the whole thing are the shoe laces becoming the R. THAT is brilliant.
That cover is gorgeous. I love the handwritten font, I love the negative space. The cover makes me want to read the book.
I completely sympathize with your qualms about running. I hate it. Every year I have friends pressuring me to join the soccer team, which is ridiculous both because I’m no good at soccer, and because I. Hate. To run.
Another great cover. I agree with Sommer that the lace-letters really tie it all together (sorry, bad pun).
I just read this book this weekend! The cover caught my eye, and it had a high rating on Goodreads, so I picked it up from the library. It’s really good!
I love that cover too. It’s clever and thought provoking. The simpler the better, I always think.
Ohhh I love this.
I love running (even if it doesn’t love me back, haha), so plus points to this for that. And the fact that I also love Wendelin Van Draanen makes this book almost an auto-buy. 
Ooh, fascinating. I love that typeface! Would you happen to know what typeface it is?
I think I’m going to add this book to my to-read list now. I know I shouldn’t judge books by their cover (or blurb) but I’m a sucker for awesome covers.
Sorry for taking so long to respond, Tabby. I don’t know what the typeface is, but I’m glad we can be suckers for awesome covers together.