I think that the most important three are having a concept, speaking with one visual voice, and do it on purpose or don't do it at all. I think that having a concept is so huge because without a concept, you really have nothing relevant or nothing that makes sense. Speaking with one visual voice makes everything tie together really well, especially with our book covers since we are working in a series. Doing it on purpose is also another matter of relevancy. It makes everything look like it was truly designed and not just thrown together.
I think the three I need to work the most on are communicating and not decorating. But at the same time I feel like I need some decoration since I am going for an ornate 18th century Victorian era look, which is all about decor. I also didn't quite utilize the "one, two, punch!" since I have gone for the more whimsical and romantic look. My books are quite about the action and I wanted my covers to have a feel of flowiness and not surprise. And I also haven't used number 7: If you can do it with less, then do it. This one also follows with the decorating statement. I wanted to utilize the decor of the Victorian era. I think the back covers do better than the front and sides, and I think that once it is folded it will look less busy. As a whole though, it looks like there is a lot more going on.
The three that I didn't really care for were treating the type as an image since, you can't always make an airplane runway out of type. Type is only type when it's friendly isn't always a good one either. Sometimes you need to convey something other than friendliness with type. Squishing and separating is another that I didn't really find a need for or really concentrate on.
I like the three that you said that you did not care for at the end. I said the same thing about squishing and separating in my blog. Also, having a concept was a really strong rule to start off with... I did not use it and now that I think about it... it is definitely the strongest one.
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