how to request.

[in anticipation of the grand opening, i'm just going to share some general introduction/ information here with you guys LMAO]

+ imagine this: it's the first day of college, and the professor has an online test that you have to complete by 11:59 p.m. and the syllabus is vague af, there's no homework, and all they really provide is the course summary. then when you approach them after hours, to try to figure out what you're being tested it on-- is it prerequisite skills? pre-calculus? all they give you is this longass summary of the course, and then say "just like all the other covers you make" or "i really like this cover you made." this frustrates you, of course, so when you probe a little further, they finally say "i don't want to put any restrictions on your creativity! do whatever you think is best <3 i want you to have all creative freedom" 

...

feel the frustration? yeah. that's me when vague af requesters roll in. please... try not to be vague. and you must be feeling frustrated because you don't know how to be specific and what you want on the cover! and that's okay! that's why this exists. i'm here to help you to learn to request with confidence!

sidenote, some designers don't mind vague requests, and a few prefer them but most designers prefer when you give them a lot of ideas! it gives them more creative freedom! 

------ STEP ONE. the overall form ------

most cover shops provide their own forms. tip #1: use provided forms. don't reuse forms just because it's easier for you. just use the forms the shop has provided dammit.

sometimes, graphics shops offer multiple forms, and it can be confusing for first-time requesters. if you want a cover, just use the form that is labelled for covers. we'll get into different kinds of graphics in the next chapter. 

when you request from shops in the mdc*, very often the forms provided can include code, as shown in the picture below. if you don't know what the mdc is, i've put a little glossary at the bottom of this chapter so check that out. as i was saying, tip #2: when there's code involved in a form, don't be scared. only write where it indicates you to write. like in these forms, it indicates where you can insert text by literally saying "text." 

thankfully, the great thing about a graphics shop in a book format is that there is no code involved whatsoever, so if you only request from graphics books, woohoo! you don't have to care about this stuff.

  ------ STEP TWO. filling out the form ------  

this is an example form seen at most cover shops!

title: pretty simple, you're just putting in the title of your story here.

subtitle*: an asterisk universally symbolizes on wattpad that this isn't required.

author: this is all u, bby.

ideas: for some reason, many requesters fail in this area of the form. but don't worry i got you. here's how i make sure i'm requesting something at least subpar. you're going to address three things in this area: the model, the mood, and the background. is there a model involved? you can give a few details here, are they female/ male, are they white? etc. but don't expect your designer to find the exact replica of your character. if there isn't a model involved, then state that. say how you'd prefer this cover to not have a model. 

now for the mood, does your story have a lot of angst? is it sad? is it supernatural and fun? sometimes there's an area in the form that asks about the mood, so you can also state that there. in the mood, you can also provide some colours that you think would really reflect the mood. 

and the background, ah. what's the setting? do you want there to be a setting? or just a solid blue background for a simple cover? do you want there to be lockers or a haunted looking house or a field or blue skies and mountains, or clouds, etc. really try to create an image in your head of what you think would represent your story best.

anything else: just a short comment here where you can say thank you, or state the password that you found hidden in the rules. yes, sometimes designers put passwords in the rules to make sure you actually read them!! and if you request without providing the password, they outright deny you (you will deny me three times-- sorry, shouldn't make bible jokes). tip #3, be sensible, and read the fucking rules.

------- rip, i hope this cleared up any confusion, or it maybe confused you eve more, but its purpose was to basically tell you to provide lots of ideas in your forms and help people who struggle with typing up good requests.

glossary:

mdc: multimedia designs club; basically a forum for graphic designers in the clubs section of wattpad where they make... well, graphics for practically free (their 'payments' are literally either commenting on one of their books or following them-- so they're no real money involved, trusss).