PENGUIN MARKETPLACE

I decided to design my book I would need to see Blackmans exisiting books in their habit. 





Blackman is such a well known children book writer who uses science fiction to bring out the theme of ethnics and social issues that are related. She reaches the younger audience (13-18 year olds who are her target audience) through her novels and short stories. It is argued that Noughts and Crosses is one of the most read young adult novels. The book addresses racism, ethnicity and violence. Her books above are very focused on typography 





I am looking here at other classic children / young adult books to get a feel for what else will be on the bookshelves. They are very typography based which is something I will need to take into account.

PENGUIN COVER RESEARCH

I decided to look into existing book covers to see what has been done :



All of the above are very standard covers, both applying to the black and white colour scheme and following the simple O and X of the title not relevant to the content of the book.

Most recent book cover produced:



With this cover I believe they are trying to appeal to the younger generation with the playful colour and type however it is still not linked to the content of the book which I think is quite key for this competition. 

Other covers I found when researching :

Previous winners of the Penguin roundhouse competition for the Childrens section include :



There is a common theme throughout all these which I think is key for me to follow to the best of my ability. The common theme is illustration. I knew this when I started looking at this brief and chose it as illustration is not one of my best aspects to design so I thought it would be good to push my boundaries and try something that isnt in my comfort zone. There are all very eye catching.

PENGUIN : IDEA GENERATION

Explore the brief

- how to balance
- what brief requires, scope for development
- realistic timescale
- clearly identify problem
- challenge the brief, what will you get out of it
- how to present and what do you need to present
individual or collaborative

Idea generation --> initial ideas



the outlined images were my intial ideas and sketches. I thought to get a better understanding and possibly better ideas it would be wise to familiarise myself with the book again and reseaerch it further. I then decided to try and visualise some of these images by doing quick sketches with colour.

PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE

I chose Noughts and Crosses as last year I did not do the childrens cover and I remember reading this when I was younger and thought that it was such a powerful book to read which had a lot of meaning. I chose to do this brief over 1.5/2 months

The Brief =

First published in 2001 Noughts & Crosses deals with racism, terrorism, the class system and the artificial divides we always seem to put between ourselves and others. It is as relevant now as it was then. You are invited to design a cover look for Noughts & Crosses to bring this original and unforgettable book to a new generation of readers. The design should ensure that this important book remains a must-read for every teenager. We are looking for a striking cover design that is well executed, has an imaginative concept and clearly places the book for its market. The cover should encourage children to pick up the book and buy it for themselves and should also engage adults to want to buy it for them.

While all elements of the cover (front, back and spine) need to work together, remember that the front cover has to be able to work on its own, and to be eye-catching within a crowded bookshop setting as well as on screen at a reduced size for digital retailers.

The winning design will need to have an imaginative concept, be an original interpretation of the brief, be competently executed with strong use of typography, appeal to the broadest possible audience for the book, show a good understanding of the marketplace, have a point of difference from other books that it will be competing against in the market and be able to sit on the shelves of a supermarket or ebook store as easily as it sits on those of more traditional bookshops.

Analysis =

It must be suitable for online platforms as well as traditional settings. Attract to all teenages as well as appealing to their parents. Dont be obvious with the cover as you are trying to bring the book to a new generation of readers.

its nice that TALK

Founded in 2002 by will hudson, it was founded as a response to a brief that he recieved while he was at uni. The brief was to put something into the public domain

Now it has reached its 10th anniversary and reached 1.5 million people , they put out 13 stories a day and cover all creative disciplines including film animation, publication and advertising.

It taked them 4-6 weeks to design the printed pages and put together on board to see how the publication will flow. They do refinement of the pages at the printers and then print the pages even larger to refine the details more

How do they make their money -
- they colaberate and work with different brands
- uniqlo life wear, which is for creatives to showcase clothing

Keep learning new skills and bridge the gap between student and professionals - interview people within the industry to gain insight into different areas

DESIGN PROCESS

The stages of design process is ongoing

Brief
- analyse
- interpret
- look at history 
- context

Research
- user 
- audience
- function
- purpose
- context
- client
- history
- meaning
- social, political, cultural

formation of ideas
- message 
- type choice
- layout
- colours
- production

Development
- experiment
- innovation
- multi-media
- testing
- evaluation
- feedback
- communication 

Prototypes
- 3 x developed outcomes
- testing, feedback
- evaluation

Final outcome
- developed through repetition / iteration
- user focused
- justified in relation to the original brief
- concept driven
- innovative 

3rd YEAR ADVICE

Live brief / competition entry

- understand the brief so that you can respond and answer it correctly
- do not get lost within the brief
- do lots of relevant research
- read the book to gain an understanding of the content
- read articles relating to the book
- how would your book cover look on a shelf ( real world perspective )

Idea generation 
- 30 ideas that have potential before you start designing
- do not be precious about your ideas
- think tactically, try not to be too obvious or do something that has been done before
- more ideas give you more opportunity for development
- give your cover a personal touch making yours stand out
- get feedback and listen to it

Submission Boards
- use professional photos
- final resolution on boards
- make sure yours grabs the attention of judges
- show ideas visually with brief concept
- research, solutions, visual style and outcomes

OUGD503 - RESPONSIVE BRIEF

Deadline = 21st march

SB1 
- opportunity to explore a range of individually identified practical, creative and conceptual concerns within the graphic design field 
- resolve and select a range of live briefs

Submission contains a range of small live briefs and one substantial brief response

SB2
- this brief is a collaborative brief where you either respond to a number of small briefs OR one substantial brief

From the learning outcomes I know that :
- I need to be innovative, experiment with different medias and techniques and create mock ups that relate to my work
- have good time management to ensure i have time to explore and experiment
- outcomes that relate back to the work and are professional 

Live briefs to look at :
D&AD
YCN
RSA
ISTD
Penguin
Starpack
G.F. Smith