Cover artists

[Rorthron]

The Rebel Planet cover is by Alan Craddock (the same as the FF gamebook).

You list the Software Projects Manic Miner cover as by Roger Tissyman. The second Bug-Byte release (with Miner Willy in green dungarees) also looks like his style. (I'm not sure about the first Bug-Byte cover.)

[Juan F. Ramirez]

Thanks for the info.

[Einar Saukas]

Every cover artist authorship reported in this thread has been added to ZXDB. Thanks a lot to everyone here that helped to bring information about them!

The cover authors currently stored at ZXDB are listed at this link (it's the same page you get when you visit https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/ and click on "HELP!"). Look for a section called COVER ARTISTS at this page, then click on it to expand it if needed.

If you know any other author of a cover art/inlay for a specific game that is currently missing from this list, or notice any incorrect information there, please post about it here.

Moreover there's now a similar thread, except about load screen authors instead of covers, that can be found here. If anyone's willing to please help on it too, it would be extremely helpful! Thank you!!!

[Rorthron]

A few more cover artists for the rest of the Spectrum Fighting Fantasy games:

Seas of Blood - Rodney Matthews
Sword of the Samurai - Peter Andrew Jones
Temple of Terror - Christos Achilleos
The Citadel of Chaos - Emmanuel
The Forest of Doom - Iain McCaig
The Warlock of Firetop Mountain - Peter Andrew Jones

[Rorthron]

BTW the SC page for Rebel Planet lists Alan Craddock as an author. He is not the author, but the cover artist. Is this an error in ZXDB or SC?

Other titles have the same problem.

[Einar Saukas]

BTW the SC page for Rebel Planet lists Alan Craddock as an author. He is not the author, but the cover artist. Is this an error in ZXDB or SC?

This is not an error. He's the author of the cover art for this game. This is what the "AUTHOR" section of this page says!

[Rorthron]

BTW the SC page for Rebel Planet lists Alan Craddock as an author. He is not the author, but the cover artist. Is this an error in ZXDB or SC?

This is not an error. He's the author of the cover art for this game. This is what the "AUTHOR" section of this page says!

I am going to stick to my guns on this one. That is not what "author" means in English. "Author" only applies to written creations, including code (except in some metaphorical uses). An artist is not an author. The current presentation is wrong.

[Einar Saukas]

BTW the SC page for Rebel Planet lists Alan Craddock as an author. He is not the author, but the cover artist. Is this an error in ZXDB or SC?

This is not an error. He's the author of the cover art for this game. This is what the "AUTHOR" section of this page says!

I am going to stick to my guns on this one. That is not what "author" means in English. "Author" only applies to written creations, including code (except in some metaphorical uses). An artist is not an author. The current presentation is wrong.

According to the same logic, an artist that created a load screen but nothing else, without participating during game development, is not an author either. Are you proposing we remove their names from lists of authors?

Moreover, if we assume that "an artist is not an author", then we should remove all names except programmers. Music composers and in-game graphic designers shouldn't be listed as authors either!

[Rorthron]

According to the same logic, an artist that created a load screen but nothing else, without participating during game development, is not an author either. Are you proposing we remove their names from lists of authors? Moreover, if we assume that "an artist is not an author", then we should remove all names except programmers. Music composers and in-game graphic designers shouldn't be listed as authors either!

No. Graphics designers and musicians contribute to the written code. Inlay designers do not. This is a matter of English: it is wrong to characterise an inlay artist as author of a game.

Either have a separate field/label/whatever for cover artist or omit them. The current arrangement is just wrong.

(Note: I edited this post, as I realised I had misread Einar's post.)

[Einar Saukas]

I'm not sure we share the same understanding about "written code".

For the sake of argument, if it was a printed book, do you think the artist that created the illustrations appearing inside the book can be included in the list of authors? What about the artist that illustrated the book cover?