[PENGUIN] Design development

IDEA1

Process

After doing the illustration, I added text onto it and experimented with different typesetting to get the perfect looking one. The back cover is a bit disappointing as it looked a bit dull. Black and white is a challenging colour pick as the design can look boring easily.

Outcome  

IDEA2

Process

I used red dark orange as the main colour of the design apart from black and white. The red served as the focal point of audience and can create a better hierarchy compared to the idea1 design. I went for a simple and less is more approach for this design and make it as straight forward as possible. Red was chosen to portray the idea of urgency and heat. 

I tried out different typesettings and look for the least messy one. 

Outcome  

THOUGHTS 

• Typesetting and picking the case and weight of text is quite challenging for me. It tried out different combinations for quite a while to get the perfect combo is comfortable to look at. 
• I think I will go for the second idea and further refine it. the back cover definitely needs more hierarchy for the text. 
• I will also make the orange lighter as it look a bit like red now, while might cause confusion among audience thinking that it is a Japanese related book. 

[PENGUIN] Initial idea development

 negative space with white foreground 

• deteriorating typesetting with white earth 
• look unprofessional 

blue continent 

• blue continent to indicate flooded earth 
• however the blue became the main focus of the design which looks like water
• confusing 

deteriorating typesetting 

• Screenshotted an image from google earth, invert the colours and tuned the hue to get an orangey earth.
• with the tile looking like its breaking down and deteriorating 
• look surreal 
• type and image do not tie well with each other 
• plagiarism? image from google earth

human foot stepping on the earth  

• translating the idea of human beings destroying the earth 
• also portrays the idea of urban footprint 
• could be further developed with a stronger illustration style 

Rock age ancient drawings inspired 

• as climate change is an accumulating effect of human beings since they existed, accent drawings were taken as reference 
• could be further developed by adding title and text and see how it goes 

[PENGUIN] Initial ideas

Idea 1 

Making use of gradient to make the cover look contemporary as climate change is a serious issue happening right now, I would like house a contemporary approach to translate the message. Using an orange gradient to represent the heat and global temperature rise, and blue gradient to represent how many people are actually not taking action to alleviate the global crisis. 

Idea2 

Adding fire underneath a blue earth to translate the idea of human destroying the earth by burning it resulting in climate change and rise of global temperature. 

Idea3

Using a picture that I took of a tree, representing the Earth. The manipulation of the images were going for a scary approach that gives off a haunted feeling among audience. This is to translate the idea of climate  change being threatening. The typesetting is hard to read and letters are everywhere, creating a deteriorating effect, representing the climate change situation is a mess and is hard to alleviate. 

 

Idea4 

Developing the gradient idea, I placed it outside a window. This creates a sunset vibe, giving off a calm and still feeling. For the back cover, I am going to pull up the blinds and draw smoke to translate th idea of a burning earth. 

[EX COLLAB] Evaluation

People from the neighbourhood were curious about what is in a red plastic bucket, a banal object, that confers photographic value when we were conducting the photoshoot on site. This ironically and interestingly reflects the inherent neglect that we aim to unveil and communicate through this project.

We have decided to further develop the idea after the deadline. As the project will be featured on @hoiplane's instagram, we would like to refine our outcome into something more professional looking. We would like to print physical copies of the publication, alongside with a video representation. 

Also, this is the first time collaging with a friend who is not exactly from the creative fields. I felt quite interesting as we exchanged knowledge and facts from our own field and combined them into out final outcome. 

The process was really practical as well. We got to go out and did photoshoots, and made a lot of mini prototypes during the production process. This is actually something out of my comfort zone as I do not think I am as experimental as others in the class and I think this project kind of pushed me to being more experimental. The process of making the prototypes actually did provoked new ideas and was quite fun. We got to try out different execution methods and look for the best as the final outcome. 

[EX COLLAB] Final outcome

We made an A4 version of the prototype. Using the aerial view of San Po Kong from Google Map and making it into a flap poster. Our idea is to stick the poster on the streets of San Po Kong and have passer bys interacting with the poster. 

Rationale 

"The Absence of Presence" 

San Po Kong is an industrial area flourished in the post-war era, when Hong Kong turned to an industry-based economy. It has served and supported families for decades yet its presence is conventionally neglected by the general population. 

San Po Kong is conceived as dull and unexciting. Considering the Hong Kong plastic manufacturer is stationed in San Po Kong, the red bucket will be emblematic of the area. Photoshoots were conducted at the San Po Kong area centred around the idea of maximising the functionality of the red bucket. 

For the front cover, we used the downsizing idea for the front cover, corresponding to the omnipresence of everyday essentials. It is inspired by the layout of photo printing previews, aiming to create a structural and repetitive visual replica of the area. 

For the body content, we aim to arouse interest among audience by applying an interactive approach, positioning them as the activator of our design, where they must flip the flaps of each page to discover the versatility of the red bucket. We hope audience would rediscover the overlooked in their daily routines. 

The back cover is a coloured version of the aerial view of San Po Kong. Viewers will be engaged with little hidden gems of the area, finally arriving at the end cover, contributing to the vibrancy of the community. 

Final poster design 

We made the flaps opening in different directions to avoid overlapping and blocking out the red bucket image underneath. We also matched the red bucket picture with the actual location where we took the photo on the aerial view map. 

We stuck our work on a random job notice board of an industrial building and another one on an electric box right next to the train station.  They are both banal but essential and have a good amount of population flow. 

Apart from the poster development, we made a publication version of the design. We used the downsizing  photos idea as the cover of the bucket photos in the content, giving audience a really structural and repetitive overview of San Po Kong. 

Final post on Instagram 

[PENGUIN] Research

Original book cover design 

• simple 
• mysterious 
• a serif font gives a feeling of seriousness 
• uses a sans serif and serif font to separate text
• title and author have same font weight 

Amazon reviews

The first impression of this book is of starkness. The front cover is plain, with the book’s title, its subtitle and author on a plain off-white background. The only decoration is a small picture of a bee at the bottom of the cover. The bee looks inactive, probably dead. Inside the book is text. There are no charts, no illustrations, no maps, just text. The small picture of the author on the back inside cover is in black and white, and he is not smiling. The contents are equally stark

Past non-fiction award winners

This is my first time choosing the non-fiction award option from penguin. I have decided to do some research on non- fiction book cover designs before I start to get a brief concept of the difference between non-fiction and fiction cover designs. 

2020

• does not look very nonfiction to me 
• obviously more experimental and thinking  out of the box
• looks totally different from traditional non fiction covers 
• creating new possibilities for new non-fiction covers, not limiting to straightforwardness of text
• mainly uses illustration to communicate 
• two main colours, red and yellow 

2019

• smart use of negative spaces to communicate idea 
• front cover matches with the back, reversing the negative space idea 
• only one font used, with different weight and sizes 
• centred hierarchy 
• looks classic 
• looks British 

2018 

 

• looks very scientific 
• the overlaying layers of circles create a gradually increasing radiant  
• grain effect to add depth in the simple design 
• typesetting matches with the background design from sparse to dense 
• very cohesive design, cohesive colours and cohesive spacings 
• back cover balanced out the low legibility of font cover 
• spine looks like words fading, clever use of spacings 

2017

 

• black as a text separator 
• only two ma in colours beige and black 
• 3 fonts, handwritten, round sans. serif and tall sans serif 
• hand written font ties well with simple illustrations 
• a vintage looking paper texture to communicate the content 

2016 

• black and white only and pink highlighter for key points 
• cannot be applied to my design as the title THE UNINHABITABLE EARTH is short 
• pink to communicate the idea of feminism 
• uses lines as text separator, straight forward 
• unique spacings of title, pink circle makes the cramped hierarchy easier to read 
• texturised background make it less digital looking 

THINGS THAT COULD BE APPLIED TO MY DESIGN 

• applying 2020 winner's design direction, illustration be the main element 
• adding texture on background to make it look realistic and less flat looking 
• deteriorating typesetting to communicate the idea of deteriorating earth 
• front cover contrasts with back cover 

Non-fiction book cover designs 

https://1106design.com/2018/11/30/nonfiction-book-cover-design/

• the more information on. the cover, the better 
• The title and subtitle should be compelling and specific, full of promises and filled with keywords. 
• buyers want to know that the book contains useful information for them. 
• The design should be straightforward, which gives the perception of reliable advice.

https://eschlerediting.com/nonfiction-cover-design-must-knows-nots/ 

• striking images and titles that speak to the reader’s desire to experience emotional intensity, growth/enlightenment, or to satisfy their curiosity.
• straightforwardness 
• make use of colours as tool to separate information 
• leave some negative space. much easier to catch attention 
• typographic settings and complementary colours 
• font sizes and hierarchy 
• red demands attention 
• stands out from the shelf 
• adding some real elements/ photos 
• a perfect photo that speaks for the content 

CONCLUSION

• negative space 
• less is more 
• bold, flat colours and graphics 
• there are a lot of range covers to attract attention 
• FONTS are CRITICAL 
• creates feelings 
• concepts rare more powerful than just typing on your title 
• compel readers to pick up your book 

Many non-fiction book cover are using text only design to communicate the main message that the book is bringing out. This makes it straightforward and creates and immediate effect of. attrition readers attention. Colours are also wisely used to stand out from hundreds of other books sitting the shelf. It is essential to make it attractive to make people choose your book out of hundreds of others.

https://www.coverdesignstudio.com/typeface-font-book-covers/  

choose a classic 

• fonts  should make a statement, or Comic Sans is more approachable, or cursive letters make romantic book covers
• when you need to guarantee results, a classic typeface will serve you best.
• Classic type lends validity to a product, or book, and offers reassurance about what’s inside.
• Recognizable type eases our concerns about taking a chance on something unknown.

Limit typefaces to one or two 

• A single typeface is all you need to design great book covers. Any more than two creates problems of clarity and consistency that can only be solved by reducing the number of variations.
• When combining two, choose a serif and a sans serif. They are usually different enough to create a complimentary look that will work for most book covers. 
• When using more than one typeface, it’s best to select two that are distinctly different, but that complement one other. 
• Avoid combining fonts that are too similar (Calibri and Arial, for example). It will look more like an accident than a design choice.

SANS SERIF

Helvetica, Microsoft Sans, Arial, Futura, Myriad, Geneva, Verdana, Gill Sans, Franklin Gothic, Tw Century, Calibri, Simplified Arabic

SERIF

Bodoni, Baskerville, Garamond, Palatino, Times, Lucida Bright, Cambria, Minion, Didot, Book Antiqua, Georgia

Case and weight 

• a combination of cases helps emphasize words and separate different text elements.
• Upper and lower case letters in normal weight are comfortable and familiar to read. They neither SHOUT like all caps nor accentuate like italics.
• All-caps are easy to read on a thumbnail and are especially useful in large point sizes for KEY WORDS in the TITLE.
• Italics are a great way to set off quotes, endorsements and blurbs on your book covers. Avoid italics in bold, however. They can be difficult to read, especially in smaller point sizes.
• Small caps are less intrusive and make a good alternative when all-caps are too strong. Avoid placing small-caps in italics or bold; they become difficult to read.