'HIDE IT!' BOOK JACKET DESIGN

 

 BOOK JACKET DESIGN IDEAS FOR A RECENT 

IDEAS TAP BRIEF. 'HIDE IT!' IS A COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES WRITTEN BY YOUNG PEOPLE AND ASIDE FROM THIS THE BRIEF WAS VERY OPEN. IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE ONE OF MY DESIGNS USED BUT I LOVE 1960S ERA PENGUIN BOOK JACKET DESIGN SO IT WAS JUST LOTS OF FUN TO HAVE A GO AT MY OWN TAKE ON IT FOR THIS PROJECT.

ALWAYS JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER

AS AN ILLUSTRATOR AND AVID READER I'M ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR INTERESTING BOOK JACKET DESIGN. I HAVE ALSO HAVE A BIT OF A THING FOR SILLY, ACTION PACKED FANTASY FICTION AND BOOKS FEATURING THIS STYLE OF 1970S REALISM - IT'S A SHAME THE STORY DOESN'T QUITE LIVE UP TO THE GREAT COVER IN THIS CASE!

= KIM = 

NEW SELF PROMO WORK

SPENT THIS MORNING REDESIGNING MY CV/SELF PROMO STUFF  HERE IS A SNEAK PEAK OF SOME OF WHAT I CAME UP WITH - I'LL POST THE FINISHED WORK WHEN I'M DONE, I'M ALSO HAVING A RE-THINK ABOUT THE BUSINESS CARD DESIGN I PREVIOUSLY POSTED...MIGHT CHANGE THE COLOUR PALETTE AND DEFINITELY THE FONT.

=KIM =

NEW BUSINESS CARD (DESIGN PROCESS)

IT'S RIDICULOUS, BUT UP UNTIL NOW I HAVE NEVER COMMITTED MYSELF TO DESIGNING A BUSINESS CARD THAT I AM 100% HAPPY WITH. I HAVE ALWAYS COME UP WITH RUSHED ONES OUT OF NECESSITY (EG. BEFORE AN IMPROMPTU CLIENT MEETING OR EXHIBITION LAUNCH). HAVING AN INTERESTING, WELL DESIGNED BUSINESS CARD IS BASICALLY ESSENTIAL TO ANY SERIOUS, NETWORKING FREELANCER, SO IT'S TIME TO SORT MY LIFE OUT AND DO ONE!

EXAMPLES FROM HE BLOG OF FRANCESCO MUGNAI

FIRST OF ALL I DID SOME RESEARCH FOR A BIT OF INSPIRATION.  THIS BLOG HAS SOME FANTASTIC EXAMPLES OF INNOVATIVE BUSINESS CARD DESIGN WHICH I FOUND REALLY HELPFUL AND REALLY GOT ME THINKING - IT'S AMAZING WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH ANY PORTABLE SHAPE WIH A PRINTABLE SURFACE AND YOUR IMAGINATION! I REALISED THAT BOTH IN ORDER FOR ME TO ENJOY CREATING IT AND POTENTIAL CLIENTS TO ENJOY RECEIVING IT, MY CARD NEEDED TO REFLECT MY PERSONALITY AND INTERESTS AS WELL AS MY SERVICES.

FOCUSING ON MY FAVOURITE THINGS (B-MOVIE MONSTERS, EC HORROR COMICS, ANYTHING RELATED TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE) I CAME UP WITH THESE INITIAL DESIGNS (SEE ABOVE, A SKULL AND ME AS A ZOMBIE. APOLOGIES FOR THE BAD PHOTOS, I LIKE TO WORK PRETTY MUCH IN THE DARK WITH JUST A LAMP #GOTH4LIFE, HAHA). I'D DONE A BIT OF BRAINSTORMING WITH MY BOYFRIEND TO WORK OUT HOW THE CARD COULD BE INTERACTIVE, AND WE CAME UP WITH THIS FOLD OUT DESIGN BASED ON THINKING ABOUT PAPER MONSTERS WE USED TO MAKE AS KIDS AND THE EXQUISITE CORPSE GAME:

I SETTLED ON THE SKULL DESIGN AS, BECAUSE MY CARD WILL BE TRADITIONAL SIZED, SIMPLICITY OF LINE WORK AND FOCUS ON GOOD DESIGN WILL WORK BEST ON A SMALL SCALE. ALSO I HAVE AN IDEA THAT THE FINAL DESIGN WILL EMPLOY THE STYLE OF EC HORROR COMICS PRINT AND 1950S BRITISH BOOK JACKET DESIGN (MY WORK IS VERY MUCH INSPIRED BY THESE AESTHETICS!). HERE IS THE SIMPLE FINAL DRAWING I DID OF MY EC HORROR COMICS-INSPIRED SKULL, WHICH I THINK DEMONSTRATES MY ILLUSTRATION STYLE WELL:

THIS IS ANOTHER MOCK UP I DID AFTER ADDING 

COLOUR AND INFO, THOUGH THE PROPORTIONS ARE COMPLETELY WRONG (THANKS TO MY DAD FOR POINTING THIS OUT BEFORE I CONTACTED A PRINTER!):

THIS IS ANOTHER MOCK UP I DID AFTER ADDING 

COLOUR AND INFO, THOUGH THE PROPORTIONS ARE COMPLETELY WRONG (THANKS TO MY DAD FOR POINTING THIS OUT BEFORE I CONTACTED A PRINTER!):

THIS IS A TRUE COLOUR IMAGE OF THE (ALMOST) FINAL DESIGN, WHICH STILL NEEDS SOME TWEAKS:

I'LL POST THE RESULTS OF THE FINAL PRINTED CARDS WHEN I GET THEM DONE SOME TIME NEXT WEEK. TO ANYONE ELSE STRUGGLING TO COME UP WITH AN INTERESTING BUSINESS CARD DESIGN I WOULD REALLY ADVISE DOING SOME RESEARCH (DON'T BE AFRAID TO 'BORROW' IDEAS...) AND THINKING 'OUTSIDE THE BOX', I HATE THAT CLICHÉ BUT IT'S TRUE - PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING CAN BE A BUSINESS CARD!

= KIM =