Final Design and Evaluation to Criteria

The design itself is rather unique compared to the existing book designs, this design refrains away from the cliché designs that contain illustrations of Adrian himself. This design is easy to read with a more structures typeface, this also removes itself from the overly used handwritten typefaces used in mostly all of the Adrian Mole Books. The typeface used is Sans Serif, still offering a friendly feel to the front cover. Using Futura, has offered a easy to read title that will be helpful for all ages, and can be seen/read from its spine and front cover if placed in a library display. To add a sense of the traditional style most of the existing books go for, I incorporated Ani Typewriter typeface for Sue Townsends name, adding a sense of character. The overall design is simplistic, this would help offer appeal to the broadest possible audience for the book. The neutral colours help eliminate gender association and the controlled amount of illustrations help widen the appeal to the audience/customers, which helps identify a good understanding for the marketplace. The unique style in comparison to existing book and entries highlights the different style and point of difference this design offers, it's a mature yet child a heart type of design, bringing nostalgia to the older generation, and a friendly and playful approach to the younger generation. 

Further Development

Through a group critique exercise, the illustrative design proved more successful than the vector design. The design was deemed friendly, approachable and appropriate to both the old and younger demographic. Through discussion of the use of typeface, a more contemporary typeface was suggested, as it would become more legible for all ages, and offer a more refined outcome. 

Suggestions to increase the amount of the black paint vector was suggested and experimented (shown top left). The outcome made the composition of type a lot easier to allocate and also read. However, the overall look became more sinister, loosing it’s like to the actual plot of the book. The back cover’s composition was easier to read and looked more refined and developed to the original design shown in the critique (Figure 2 on previous page).

For the final outcome, a mixture of using the developed back cover and original front cover was created to form a design that combined the best aspects of the development work. The spine of the book consists of less black paint, allowing more space for Sue Townsends name to be written, and offer a less sinister look (when just viewed by the spine). The typeface Futura was used for the final typeface of the Front and Back cover, being easy to read to all ages it offers a new contemporary updated look. To add reference back to the original idea of using Ani Typewriter, this typeface was used for Sue Townsends name, this made her name come across more friendly, as using her name in red using Futura seemed questionable at first (after her passing). 

Overall, the outcome is successful, reaching all the Brief requirements:

The book design is imaginative and original in comparison to existing book covers, offering a more contemporary style to the book. Development of typography and gaining feedback from critiques, the use of typography is strong, through function and aesthetics. The outcome not being heavily illustrated or following the diary and handwritten type clichés creates a broader appeal to the audience for the book. Being a book that is suitable to all ages highlights a great understanding of the marketplace. 

Final Crit - Chosen Two Designs and Feedback

Figure 1 (above) is a developed full spread outcome, by removing the typical round glasses, this helped develop the character design to look less like Harry Potter, and also make the presence of the spot more noticeable on the front cover. Having the vector placed over the whole spread created a flow that made the outcome look refined. The type placed along the shape of the vector helped remove unnecessary negative space and create a form of depth. Development in the type involved handwriting and scanning in the 3/4, this added a quirkiness to the design and personality, as if written by Adrian. The outcome is a new approach, linking to the necessities of the brief. It’s colourful, and interesting from just looking at the blurb, and is with the combination of warm and bright colours, it becomes eye catching. Having Adrian’s face half shown adds intrigue to what the book is and is a unisex design for both children and adults. 

Figure 2 (top right) is the full spread design outcome of the more illustrative outcome. The use of black paint was playful and experimental to apply to the composition and creates a front and back cover that links well, with flow. The use of the pale colour creates an overall design that is appealing to both adults and children, and has a vintage aesthetic, offering a nostalgic appeal the older generation. The colour also helps to add a friendly feel, as the harsh black paint strokes come across dark and aggressive. The use of having the red sock on the front/back cover and spine links all the sides together, and are a comical reminder of the main protagonist Adrian. This outcome is unique compared to existing book covers, as a majority focus on having a visual design of Adrian. The composition of the spread is all in centre, and text written small in width to allow the flow of reading the book easier and faster. 

Sock Design

After finding out that the vector design still had resemblance to Harry Potter, I wanted to look at the idea of creating a book cover that doesn't involve an image of Adrian. This would break away form the cliché of the existing book covers, and tick on the brief points, being a unique new book cover design. 

Looking back on my thumbnail sketches, I remember really liking the illustrative style of one of the ideas, that involved symbolising Adrian's rebelliousness, this being through the iconic red socks from the book. The illustrative style would be a great approach for the children's book, and become a book cover that isn't too childish for the all target audience:



I played around with textures and inks to create an interesting background colour for the text of the book. The black ink represented the moment when Adrian started to paint his wall black. 

Critique Notes

Critique notes taken:

• The designs are really eye catching - the use of orange
• Like the comical presence of the spot on the chin - slightly annoying, works well with the story
• The style is acceptable all ages and follows the brief
• Looks like Harry Potter
• To similar to Harry Potter
• Could you experiment with the use of bubble wrap and the connotation of popping a spot?
• To resemble less of Harry potter, see if you can enlarge the vector of Adrian to have the main focus on the spot. 

To further develop my idea following the crit, I looked at the bubble wrap idea to see how it would look:

Overall I wasn't sure this would be a good idea for a book design, especially for the target audience of the book. Although comical for those of an older age, this design could be viewed as something distasteful to the younger demographic, which would fail one of the criteria for the brief. 

Digital Design Variations

Development from successful thumbnail designs, creating a vector design of character ‘Adrian Mole’ inspired from Stanley Chow. Compositional development and experimentation taken from rough type treatments looking at the impact of the overall look of negative space. The colour orange chosen as background colour linking to Adrian’s comical desire for more Vitamin C. The colour is warm friendly and gender neutral. The Vector design sets the mood of the character, adding intrigue to the content of the book/narrative.  The vector also hints at Adrian’s acne problem with the large pimple on his chin. 

Although peers mentioned how the design was refined and confident, the appearance of Adrian is similar to Harry Potter, this would possibly lead to confusion for the younger audience. 

Development from second successful thumbnail design. This design is an outcome that could be used/ accepted by both adult and child. The overall style hints at the rebellious phase of Adrian Mole, with the iconic red sock, and then black paint on the book cover. Drawing the sock will add an authentic friendly look. Having just one single sock in red singles Adrian Mole out as the main character of the narrative, and also by his unique comical personality. The outcome is playful and simplistic, removing itself from the cliché aspects of cover designs created beforehand. The Ani Typewriter typeface is formal and playful, echoing Adrian’s desires to write, without it being hand-written (like most of the previous book cover designs). 

Chosen Book and Rationale

After developing initial ideas through my thumbnails designs, I realised the design work that I was creating was very generic and too obvious with my 'To Kill a Mockingbird' ideas.

I have decided to put all my focus on 'The secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4', I believe I will be more confident and successful to create new and interesting design ideas, that don't share the same qualities as the existing designs you will see nowadays.

Thumbnails - The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4

Above are 20 thumbnails for The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole.

I wanted to stay clear of the cliche book designs created before, using the style of making the book look like a diary, with scrap paper and pens and scribbles everywhere. 

For this book I wanted to look at creating simplistic book design, something that is not too hectic for the eyes for both child and adult. Something that is easy to read, shares elements of the book in a intriguing way, leaving the content of the diary unknown by looking at the colour. 

Key things to illustrate:
- Red Socks
- Adrian Spots
- His glasses 
- Pandora
- Black Paint

Thumbnails - To Kill a Mockingbird

Above show 20 thumbnail designs for To Kill a Mockingbird.
These designs looks at taking pivotal points, or pivotal characters and creating a design that links to the main themes of the book. 

Ideas:
- black ink dropping ; this will bring really interesting texture, combining a branch like look. 
- Tom - being shot 17 times (like in the book) 17 mockingbirds flying away
- side profile silhouette of scout with silhouette of hame, family and tree - a microcosm 
- Tom and Boo side profiles within each other - focussing on the two personifications of Mockingbirds.