After completing my three designs for the Penguin 2016 brief, I decided I wanted to see what they looked like on actual books, and whether or not their designs would still be cohesive! I printed them out on A4 sized paper, and then trimmed with a pen knife, the borders in which the ink was allowed to 'bleed'. I was not very confident at this process because most of my work is always digital and stays digital, so binding books was a new stage for me! I then folded them in the correct areas, and chose books that were quite thin, because the spines on the designs suggested to me that the books would not be very thick.
I started with my design for 'A Clockwork Orange. I think this is my favourite design out of the three, because it has depth and colour, but works well together, even in print! I was surprised at how this turned out and think that is resembles the book quite nicely. One thing I am thinking of changing however, is the top of the design seems a little high, as if it is too close to the top of the page of the book. I am not sure if this is down to my cutting skills or if the book design needs to be changed, but the more I look at it the more I see it, so I will definitely be thinking of that!
I also really like how the spine turned out for this book also, because it matches the colours of the penguin logo, so everything really ties together. I think keeping the fonts from the front cover has also made my design consistent and solid, which are key elements that the brief asks for. I also believe with the luminous orange, the spine would stand alone on a shelf full of books as well!
Next I binded my design for 'How to be a Woman'. I loved this design on screen, but when I printed it, the colour didn't seem as vibrant and eye catching. I think this may be down to the ink of the printer, because in Photoshop, the colours are all very vivid and complimentary. However I am not sure whether this design is too 'plain'. I feel like there may need to be some borders or something just to fill the negative space. I will ask feedback for this because I have never been confident with negative space to begin with, so it could just be me being biased.
I did like the spine and how simplistic it was though. If I could, I would have loved to emboss the green 'HOW TO BE A WOMAN' title, so that it would be a shiny neon/metallic green to reflect the new digital generation, however because I could not do that, I stuck to plain paper.
The last book to bind was my 'Emil and the Detectives' design. This was by far my favourite to make, but also the scariest for me to think about binding. I had a feeling that the front cover would look a little bare once all put in place, because my focus was tying the design together to the spine. And my fears were true! I love the back cover and how this turned out because there is still detail and elements going on, but for me the front cover didn't reach its goal. I think it is too bare, and needs a little more 'something' to liven it up a bit, and reach the brief in terms of being a standing alone design.
When looking at the spine though, you can see the design start to tie together, but not enough for me to like the front design on it's own. Therefore I will be altering this because I am unhappy with it and would not like to submit it whilst it still has an empty tone.
These are the three book designs in relation to each other. I have tried to experiment with different techniques, colour palettes and styles. Obviously working with neutral colour palettes is new and out of my comfort zone, as well as catering to specific audiences, especially those who are out of my own age range and demographic! Therefore I feel like this whole brief really challenged me in these areas, and gave me an insight into my future, and what I will be faced with.
I also asked for some feedback from my peers. They agreed that the 'Emil and the Detective' design was quite bare on the cover, but worked well as a whole. They also said that I could add some texture to the 'How to be a Woman' background in order to make it feel right and more complete. I asked them about the 'Clockwork Orange' and liked the colour scheme, but perhaps I could try and make my other covers, feel as resolute and ready for the shelves as this one, because they feel like there are things missing on them. I really appreciate this feedback because I myself was struggling with some of the covers, and I feel like I can get more out of the brief when other people give me advice because they are part of an audience as well!
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