PENGUIN DESIGN AWARDS 2011
PENGUIN ADULT PRIZE PUFFIN CHILDREN’S PRIZE
SZE SHENG CHAN
BA(HONS) DESIGN FOR GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
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ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE
Gabriel García Márquez
THE BRIEF One of the twentieth century’s enduring works, One Hundred Years of Solitude has sold over 30 million copies worldwide in thirty-seven different languages. ‘Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.’ Pipes and kettledrums herald the arrival of gypsies on their annual visit to Macondo, the newly founded village where José Arcadio Buendía and his strong-willed wife, Úrsula, have started their new life. As the mysterious Melquíades excites Aureliano Buendía’s father with new inventions and tales of adventure, neither can know the significance of the indecipherable manuscript that the old gypsy passes into their hands. Through plagues of insomnia, civil war, hauntings and vendettas, the many tribulations of the Buendía household push memories of the manuscript aside. Few remember its existence and only one will discover the hidden message that it holds …
• have an imaginative concept and original interpretation of the brief • be competently executed with strong use of typography
THE WINNING DESIGN WILL NEED TO :
• appeal to the broadest possible audience for the book • show a good understanding of the marketplace • have a point of difference from the many other book covers it competes against • be able to sit on the shelves of a supermarket as easily as it sits on those of more upmarket bookshops such as Waterstone’s
OTHER ABSTRACT
CHARACTER / EMOTION
While starting the project, I started to read the novel to understand the story of “ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE”. I wanted to familiarise myself with the subject and to pick out points of interest that could be used as starting points for my design. Unfortunately, after I read these 60 pages of this novel, I found this novel is very complex and complicated. So, I decided to research more and more as other methods.
MOUNTAIN / LANDSCAPE
RESEARCH
REVIEWS ‘Enormously, kaleidoscopically, mysteriously alive … reality and fantasy are indistinguishable’ Guardian ‘No lover of fiction can fail to respond to the grace of Márquez’s writing’ Sunday Telegraph ‘Dazzling … should be required reading for the entire human race’ New York Times ‘Sweeping chaotic brilliance … one vast and musical saga’ The Times ‘The book that sort of saved my life’ Emma Thompson ‘It’s so much fun to read, unexpected and beautiful’ Darryl Hannah
THOUGHTS ON THE REVIEW AND PLOT AND MAIN CHARACTER
WORDLE http://www.wordle.net/
WORDS I ASSOCIATE WITH THE STORY
GENERATIONS
MOUNTAINS & CLOUDS
ANCESTORS
FAMILY TREE NOSTAGLIA MAGICAL
CYCLES, CIRCLES, & CYCLICAL
OUTWARD
RELATIONSHIP ISOLATION
FANASTICALLY
LAST VIOLENCE
THOUGHTS OF READERS A LOTS OF CHARACTERIZATIONS
FEEL THE LOCATION OF WHERE IS THE STORY IS SET LAYERS OF GENERATIONS
FANATASTICALLY AND MYTHICAL
GOT LOTS OF PEOPLE AND SOME LANDSCAPE
AIM
MY JOB OF BOOK COVER IS TO ATTRACT PEOPLE.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
2007
2008
2010
2009
PENGUIN RESEARCH
REFERENCES FOR PENGUIN RESEARCH ‘Penguin by Design’ by Phil Baines ‘Seven Hundred Penguins’ by Penguin thepenguinblog.typepad.com penguin.co.uk
TYPES OF BOOK COVERS
PHOTO - BASED
TYPOGRAPHIC - BASED
BLACK AND WHITE - BASED
AN ARCHIVE OF BOOK COVER DESIGNS AND DESIGNERS http://bookcoverarchive.com/
IMAGES OF REALITY AND IMAGINATION I collected images of both reality and imagination from the internet especially, FLICKR.
These images which I associated with the story.
INSPIRATION After researching for this book, I started to search for inspiration, few artists and designers just came to my mind - Wim Crouwel, Philippe Apeloig, Mark Rothko, and Milton Avery.
“Be competently executed with strong use of typography� from the winning tip of Penguin Award.
They were recommended by my tutor and good friends for my inspiration to design covers. A lot of works from them caught my attention. And, I would like to concentrate on typography and feelings of this book.
Wim Crouwel
Philippe Apeloig
INSPIRATION I am looking into exploring the typography (for the title) and, Spanish or Latin pattern in a subjective way: hand-made, crafted, touched, painted, drawn / instead of simply having a human-related figure.
Mark Rothko
Milton Avery
SKETCHES After book cover design research and inspiration, I decided to sketch my ideas with my hand-drawn for illustrative typographic and then sketched for layouts of the covers.
MY SKETCHBOOK
IDEA GENERATIONS
FAMILY / FAMILY TREE MOUNTAIN & CLOUDS (MYTHICAL) DEATH / TRAGEDY FEARS RELATIONSHIP WITH ANCESTORS MAGICAL / FANTASTICALLY CYCLE / CYCLICAL LONELY IMAGINATION GENERATIONS I tried to paint with watercolours and acrylics for illustrations but found out it didn’t work well. I decided that I would sketch firstly before go to use Adobe Illustrator to create it.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT : 1 To create my typeface and illustrations for the title by using Adobe Illustrator after I scanned my sketches into my computer.
PROTOTYPE : 1 I have to print all designs with laser and inkjet printers to test whether one of them is good or bad. My tutors suggested it and asked me to trust my own eyes to see them. I realized that the different tones of one colour make the covers look so flat and reminds me of camouflage. So I decided to combine three different colours. Moreover, the hierarchy of layout needs to be refined as clear and simple.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT : 2 I tried to find a typeface for the author name and summary that was solid and strong to represent as him. It is also needed to fit well with the whole layout for two ideas. These colour studies are chosen but my tutor suggested me to print out with laser and inkjet printers to test. These colours (Yellow, Orange, Red, Green and Purple) related to the part of the story which tells a lot of complex characters in one family. The different tones of colours represent as the element of cyclical, family tree, relationships, and characters.
PROTOTYPE 2 “TRUST YOUR OWN EYES TO SEE THEM” Tutors - Darren Raven and Paul Bailey
Before the selection designs, I printed my designs to test again.
SELECTION DESIGNS
These are my selection for Penguin Adult Prize. I like them as my favourite and I think they are interesting because I think these designs are solider and stronger to express in a very subjective way the plot and characters of the book. The three colours and circle shapes also resembles the story of the book and family generations in imaginative and magical ways. My own typeface also is enough clear to see the title of book as well as I wanted. I also like the way to combine the colours and the two backgrounds for layout (white and yellow) to expose the ‘warm’ feeling as human emotion.
FEEDBACK The abstract shapes on the cover could be more energetic and dance in front of the eyes. The type you designed for the cover text works well and could be improved if you made the text smoother by using a special print varnish. The Yellow background colour could be textured. This will constrast with the smooth type. Go to Falkiner Fine Papers in Southampton Row to get and idea of what papers will work best.
LEILA, LIBRARIAN AT LCC
HAFFENDI ANUAR, CSM STUDENT
KARL FOSTER, LCC TUTOR
I like the white background as the colours of the design are more of contrast.
I like the flowing design of the illustration with smooth curves. I like the title word ‘one’ in the centre as this gives more movement.
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JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH
ROALD DAHL
THE BRIEF
An enormous, angry rhinoceros that has escaped from London Zoo has eaten James’s parents. And it gets worse! James is packed off to live with his two really horrible aunts, Sponge and Spiker. Poor James is miserable, until something peculiar happens and James finds himself on the most wonderful and extraordinary journey he could ever imagine … James and the Giant Peach will be fifty in 2011. First published in 1961 it has become one of the most loved of Roald Dahl’s stories, appealing to readers of all ages. Dahl was a master of language and of making up words. His stories are full of fabulous visual twists and turns.
• have an imaginative concept and original interpretation of the brief • be competently executed with strong use of typography
THE WINNING DESIGN WILL NEED TO :
• appeal to the broadest possible audience for the book • show a good understanding of the marketplace • have a point of difference from the many other book covers it is competing against • be able to sit on the shelves of a supermarket as easily as it sits on those of more upmarket bookshops such as Waterstone’s
READING THE BOOK I read this book again as I am afraid if I couldn’t remember it from my childhood. However I enjoyed reading it once more. Whilst reading I gathered from the information about it and my opinion for the key imagery and themes. The two main things that I found interesting and wanted to visualize were the element of madness and ‘everything not as it seems’.
THINGS I’LL NEED TO CONSIDER: - AUDIENCE ‘BROADEST POSSIBLE (BOTH CHILDREN AND ADULTS) - MAKE IT DIFFERENT FROM IT’S COMPETITORS (EYE-CATCHING) - A GOOD VISUAL ELEMENT - IMAGINATIVE CONCEPT - WELL EXECUTED
THOUGHTS ON THE PLOT AND MAIN CHARACTER I also collected the reviews from the parents, children and teenagers from the internet online.
WORDLE http://www.wordle.net/
WORDS I ASSOCIATE WITH THE STORY
GOOD VS EVIL
ABUSE
FRIENDSHIP
OVERCOMING DIFFICULTY ADVENTURE FEAR
JUSTICE
ABANDONMENT
GOOD ALWAYS CONQUERS EVIL
MISERY
RESEARCH I gathered lots of other artist’s visualisations of the book I re-read my own book to re-familiar myself with the story details.
THEME - GREEN - GIANT - PEACH - INCESTS - GROW - YARD - GARDEN - SPILLS FOR MAGIC
RESEARCH Collecting other James and the Giant Peach book covers that I analysed to gain ideas of imagery and competitions. Most covers from these websites. COMPETITORS
PREVIOUS COVERS
IMAGES OF REALITY AND IMAGINATION Collecting more imagery of JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH from the internet.
INITIAL IDEAS
INSPIRATION Some children who like to have to imagine anything inspired me. So I sketched some insects and James while I would find a suitable fontthat fit my illustrations well.
After, I read the book “Massin” about Robert Massin, I felt that typefaces always speak for themselves. I tried to find a typeface that was delicate but nonetheless solid and strong. It also needed to fit well with the children’s illustrations
Robert Massin
DESIGN DEVELOPMENTS AND EXPERIMENT 1 I experimented how the illustration of main characters immediately represents well. I thought how using illustrative typography may be a way of approaching the criteria of the brief to appeal to the widest audience possible of children and adults choosing for children because the parents always buy important education books for their children.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENTS AND EXPERIMENT 1 I studied about the colour for children and parents. I was thinking about baby colours but found out that some teenagers also read this book when I visited Foyles Book Shop. So I decided to choose simple and fresh colours, which can represent the story of the book. I chose only three colours for book cover design. Perhaps green brings a lot of representations for the book, for example, the grasshopper, the yard, and the grass.
TUTORIAL During my tutorial, Darren actually said he liked the combination with green and black colours in layout of cover design. He suggested I should use the green and black colours rather than the second idea and then actually continue working with this, developing to make it appropriate for the cover.
WHAT NEXT? I started to create illustrations about the characters and words I associated with the story. Make the cover animated by using vector based illustrations and make the viewer get excited about the contents of the book.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENTS AND EXPERIMENT 2
From my first design, I knew that I always wanted to use a white on green and black colour combination. I feel it is bold and eye-catching which will attract the attention of children and adult readers.
FEEDBACK I was asked the librarians from my university because I knew the librarians read this book before. So I spoke to two of the librarians for their opinions. One of them read this book over 30 years ago and still remembers the story.
LEILA, LIBRARIAN AT LCC
Children enjoy looking at lost little things. They have very good visual appreciation of detail.
MY THOUGHT
I am pleased with my final design and I think I managed to fulfil the main aims of the brief to: - Be imaginative The cover explores the variety of main characters and settings inside the reflection of JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH.
CAITLIN VERNEY, LIBRARIAN
Green cover is very reminiscent of the story than the white one.
- Appeal to the broadest possible audience for the book The illustrating visuals captivate not only young children but also to an adult audience.
WHAT DID I LEARN FROM LIVE PROJECTS? TIME MANAGEMENT
JUGGLE MULTIPLE PROJECTS
WORKING INDEPENDENTLY
IMPROVING ILLUSTRATING SKILL
BE PROACTIVE WITH MY WORKS
USE OF TYPOGRAPHY ON BOOK COVER DESIGN