The Brief Create a childrens book cover for ‘Emil and the Detectives’. This brief asks us to create a full back and front cover of a childrens book about a children detective (and his friends) looking for this mystery man who stole his money. The brief is to bring this classic to a new generation of readers. Personally I enjoy re-designing books or designs because you as the artist have the say as how the book will be viewed on shelves. I decided to select this brief because i’ve never worked with a childrens book before and wanted a challenge. This brief first appealed to me because it was very open to how we wanted to design the book. I want to create designs that will stand out and that will make the viewers think carefully about the book.
Daniel Carter - OUGD504 - Studio Brief 01 - The Design Process
Research Primary Research
Looking at previous Emil books.
After going to a local library I decided to go around and see books that were either yellow or eye catching. As part of the brief it is important to produce something that would be eye catching and would fit other childrens books on a shelf. This really helped me understand what is important for a book to be eye catching. After researching around the library the books that I picked up were more simplistic and easier to understand. This is the theme that I will be taking forward.
After looking at several older versions of Emil and the Detective I can understand what the illustrator was going for. It is a simplistic design showing the streets of Berlin whilst the man in green is walking away with the boys money who is hiding behind the pillar. I think this book cover matches the theme of an early Berlin with the use of shops and the use of clothes on the characters.
I also started looking at books that were more based around the previous Emil and the Detective books. Therefore looking at simplicity and colour. A lot of the books that were yellow were very eye catching and even though they were not childrens book they stood out on the shelves. With the ‘Stone Mattress’ book the yellow really stood out to me. I like the simplicity of the bird however, question the type layout throughout the page. In the brief it asks for the front page to work on its own. In this example I think the book can work on its own and therefore it is a successful book that made me want to pick it up.
Daniel Carter - OUGD504 - Studio Brief 01 - The Design Process
What can I take from this research? I need to design something that will be intelectual and can cause them to interact with something outside of themselves. This doesn’t mean that the final design has to be humerous; in fact creating something clever and something never seen before. I want my final productions to tell the children something about the outside world and about themselves. I need to create a design that will deliver as children are just like any other consumers. Delighting a child is often shown with presenting them something new.
Initial Ideas Initial sketches
Experinting with type and illustrations.
I began by starting a mini mind map to help me get away from the word Emil and everything that is very easily associated with it. After geting a few words together I decided to get a few quick sketches done to get an easier understanding of where I can go forward with this brief. I really can not draw people well on paper therefore I stuck to drawing very basic outlines of people. After creating my initial sketches I came up with the idea of using games to make the front and back cover more appealing to children. I want it to be playful but not confusing. This then led me to play around with different style pens and colouring pencil to create a playful/child like type. I need to take into consideration that I do not want to create something that is ‘cute’ because every child aspires to be older than they are are therefore I don’t want to be designing for ‘babies’.
Mind map
Daniel Carter - OUGD504 - Studio Brief 01 - The Design Process
Initial sketches
Playing around with type.
Development Initial idea development
Erich Kästner
From my initial sketches I started by creating characters that look similar to a contemporary Berlin. In the brief it says the book is full of unforgetable characters. I wanted to try recreate characters that looks recognisable whilst making the illustrations or the mystery man and the children different to the other characters. I want the children reading these books to feel as if they are in the position of the children (from the book) looking for the lost money. The concept of my designs is using games that myself and others have seen when they were younger. For example Spot the difference on the back of cereal packaging. With this concept mockup 3 and 4 makes the reader think before opening the first page. It puts you the reader in the shoes of the detectives already trying to solve the puzzles on the front book cover.
Mockup 1
Mockup 2
Crossed out characters with the children looking for the mystery man.
Contemporary Berlin scene with the two main characters in black.
Mockup 3
Mockup 4
Find the bowler hat
Dot to dot mystery man.
Children are just like other consumers, you might fool them once but you wont fool them twice. If the product doesn’t deliver that child will never buy your message again.
Daniel Carter - OUGD504 - Studio Brief 01 - The Design Process
Further Development Back cover development Using a though bubble with the line ‘fun facts, quizzes and much more inside.’ Using a speech bubble when the line sounds like someone is speaking out. “Extra ! Extra! Read all about it!”
! m i h r ‘Afte
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
‘After him! After him!’
Fun facts, quizzes and much more inside
Speech and thought bubble
Catching the thief U.K. £6.99
Simplistic designs to make it easy to understand.
Emil is excited to be through going on a train by himself, withthat money Putting a line theallcharacters for his grandmother safely tucked into his pocket. But a strange dont match the description of the thief. man wearing a bowler hat is acting mysteriously, and soon Emil starts to feel sleepy . . . The next thing he knows the man – and the money – have gone! EmilDetectives_designaward_COVtemplate.indd 1 Emil is determined to get it back and teams up with a gang of young detectives in a hair-raising chase across the city to catch the thief.
Fun facts, quizzes and much more inside
AND THE
AND THE DETECTIVES A PUFFIN BOOK
Daniel Carter - OUGD504 - Studio Brief 01 - The Design Process
Erich Käs
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
EM
EMIL
Emil is excited to be going on a train all by himself, with money for his grandmother safely tucked into his pocket. But a strange U.K. £6.99 man wearing a bowler hat is acting mysteriously, and soon Emil starts to feel sleepy . . . The next Footsteps thing he knows the man – and the money – have gone! Shoe and Handprint Emil is determined to get it back and teams up with a gang of young detectives a hair-raising across the city to catch Are these imprints of the mystery man or Leaving in footprints for chase further clues. the thief. of the children? EmilDetectives_designaward_COVtemplate.indd 1
AND THE DETECT
Erich Kästner
EMIL AND THE DETECTIVES
‘After him! After him!’
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
EMI
EMIL AND THE DETECTIVES
Using the sole of the footstep that might have been left imprinted for the children to carry on with their detective journey. As well as using hand prints which is something that we associate with when children play with paint and their hands.
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
!’ m i h r Afte
A PUFFIN BOOK
Creating a dot to dot of the footprints. This relates back to child detective series such as Inspector Gadget or ScoobyDoo where they would follow footsteps once they find them.
Fun facts, quizzes and much more inside
Erich Kästner
Using the idea of crossing people out on the back page to show as if a child has gone through each profile and crossed out the ones that didn’t fit the criteria.
Erich Kästner
EMIL AND THE DETECTIVES
Emil is excited to be going on a train all by himself, with money for his grandmother safely tucked into his pocket. But a strange man wearing a bowler hat is acting mysteriously, and soon Emil starts to feel sleepy . . . The next thing he knows the man – and the money – have gone! Emil is determined to get it back and teams up with a gang of young detectives in a hair-raising chase across the city to catch the thief.
Erich
Final Outcome Final book designs. I can say that I am very satisfied with my final products. After receiving some feedback on my book covers I was over the moon with the responses. I feel as if I have done this brief to my full potential and have achieved what I have created. I created 3 seperate book covers and they all collectively work together. After reviewing each book cover I still think there is room for improvement. I feel as if the two top book covers (2&3) are too complicated on the back. I wanted to make the book covers more interactive to make it something ‘new’ for a childrens book. I wanted to create a book that would be interactive for both adults and children. I really wanted to connect with the children and for that I think good design is essential. Children are very alert and can spot falseness instantly.
Final book cover (2)
Final book cover (3)
Dot to dot theme
Contemporary Berlin theme
For my favourite final book cover I like the simplicity and how it looks like an Emil and the Detectives book. I wanted to do a spot the difference style theme using the bowler hat which describes in the book that the detectives are aware that the thief has a bowler hat. The back design is very simplistic with the type being written in a chalk typeface whilst the two sentences are used within a speach and thought bubble. To conclude I am very ecstatic with my final products. I took feedback very well and used it to further my designs. I hope to see briefs similar to this one in the foreseeable future.
Daniel Carter - OUGD504 - Studio Brief 01 - The Design Process
My favourite final chosen book cover (1) Spot the difference theme