Roxanne Beynon
GDES3004
Childrens book design
Learning report
During the course of the module I have developed a range of knowledge surrounding the general requirements of children's book design. Students were encouraged to consider locally sourced ingredients and sustainable foods for a children's recipe book aimed at a target age group of 8 and over. By addressing the interests and needs of children this age in terms of book design it became apparent that the parents or guardians would be involved with the cooking process therefore this sustainable cookbook would have to be attractive and enjoyable for both children and their accompanying adult.
During the initial lectures we were introduced to the concept of age related materials and the appropriate use of illustration and art styles. By assessing the use of typography together with scale, imagery and colour of examples in children's book design, groups realised strengths and weaknesses in design and gained knowledge in the best ways to target our future brief.
Before beginning my practical development I took some time to discuss the project with two of my friends children; Beth who is 10 years old this June, and Sophie who just turned 8 years old. I gathered information from them with regard to what they felt would appeal to them, this basically outlined colour, some font styles, characters, and ideas for extra features. By discussing the brief with them I was able to gain insight in the preliminary stages as to what children of the target age find appealing. I had similar discussions with their parents, which resulted in a range of ideas and thoughts that I began working upon as roughs.
During my development it became incredibly clear that research is a key element of all design which develops an understanding of current trends, gaps in the market, acceptable and appropriate material, illustration and art styles, use of typography and understanding the target audience. Through the research that I therefore conducted, I found that despite audience opinions that my initial Ideas were interesting, there was more room for development in other Ideas I had explored. For example, my "googleye's" although fun and children enjoyed them, were 'scrapped' as I was informed later on of a similar concept called "ooglies". This made me feel as though my characters were not an original art style. In addition, the characters above once developed further became quite bold and clunky, which is fine for young children but in order to appeal to adults as well as children of 8 and upwards I opted to follow a more delicate and cooky design path. Later in my creative development I took the characters away from my designs, replacing this with a secret ingredients notebook as an extra feature to engage young minds.
After discussing the work created so far with peers, Beth, Sophie and their parents, I decided to further develop my cover design based on the look of a screen print and under the title "little green trees", this name comes from my little brother who often called Broccoli little green trees when he was younger. To me this adds a personal touch to the book that also conveys the notion that brocolli and other vegetables come from nature. I had taken colour examples to show Beth and Sophie, and they both selected a range that appealed to them. I referred back to the market currently, discovering a popular trend in 'Flat Ui' colours used for digital media and E-books etc. From here I based my Cover design on a simple two colour template and finalised on a flat pastel green. Green reflects the notion of being environmentally friendly and eco-aware for its obvious associations with the outdoors and plant life whilst also looking contemporary and modern enough to stand out in the current market both digitally and as hard copy. In addition I have made a deliberate effort to make the book cover appealing to both boys and girls through the colour chosen.
My cover shows a circular motif surrounded by various food and sustainable and environmental images such as vegetables, farm animals and a tractor. I chose to use a circle as this embodies the notion of balance, zen, the earth and the seamless continuation of life. All these represented factors contribute to the book being instantly recognisable as something healthy, sustainable and eco-aware. Initially the tractor which sits at the top of the circle, faced toward the spine of the book, but after consideration I turned it to face the right like this in order to evoke the sense of moving "through" the pages rather than away from them. With my cover motif children can also see how farming relates to food and animals. thus educating them and building an appreciation of this relationship.
Ideally, I would like to have a wipe clean cover for the book if not the designed covers themselves. In addition, I would like to have the text on the front cover raised and glossy. I believe this would enhance the overall appearance by highlighting the text but also create something tactile and therefore more memorable for children. I believe that the overall look of the book would be improved by creating a classier yet approachable and delicate appearance, while at the same time becoming more fun and 'feely'.
For my interior spreads I decided to add a sense of continuity by repeating typographic styles, and the way in which children would interact with the book. Circular motifs which reflect the connotations of the front cover conceal a flap which once opened reveal images of the recipe as it is being prepared along with text instructions. By creating an interactive page the child would engage more thoroughly with the recipe and could lift the flap and read to the parent who may be cooking the "adult alert" sections, this way the child remains involved in all stages. After discussions with Beth and Sophie regarding the 'easy peasy purple broccoli gratin" recipe. I incorporated the idea of a "secret ingredients" notebook which could be bound into the cover of the book or in a secret compartment in the centre pages etc. This Idea stemmed from Sophie's opinion that the Gratin would taste nicer if we added cheese. We recooked the recipe together and all agreed that it was improved from adding our "little extras". However, as tastes vary person to person, we decided this would be an extra added feature where children and their parents could have their own variations of the ones within the recipe book. This concept seemed popular during user testing and discussions with peers and parents etc. Mostly due to the fact that 8+ children start to develop the feeling of wanting to be more adult, so by being part of the creator of their own recipe, this allowed the book to be more engaging, fun and appropriate for them.
Overall the spreads would be created from eco-friendly or recycled paper with a wipe clean finish thus increasing the longevity of the book within a messy kitchen environment, but also making the book again more interactive. Ideally I would like the illustrated images, and title fonts to be slightly raised or more glossy in a similar manner to that of the front cover.
I have considered the way in which digital media is becoming increasingly strong within all variations of literature and illustration, therefore I have explored the way in which my cover and some elements of the spreads would look and operate in digital applications. I thought it would be enjoyable to watch for example, if once loaded onto say an I'pad, the same circular motifs featured in the book with flaps to lift, could be 'flipped' by a spatula to reveal the steps. Sounds such as bubbling and sizzling could be added during this action which would create a multidimensional application for children to enjoy. I have incorporated the image of a QR code in my book, which for older children who have phones could direct them to a page of cool facts, games and information about sustainable foods. If I had the ability to I think it would be appropriate for this project to have the option of being directed to a site where there was information about all the local farm produce shops in that area, this way children could pick a recipe, and then know where the best place to buy the ingredients from locally is. Perhaps then mom and dad could take them to purchase the ingredients ready for cooking.
To conclude, my book cover and motif design seek to explore the notion of balance, zen, a respect for the environment, enhancing knowledge of associating factors and building an understanding of where food comes from. Essentially the art style chosen seeks to attract both adults and children as I believe this enables room for maturity and develops a longer 'shelf life' to the book. Its conceptual wipe clean pages would also give extra longevity allowing the recipes to be part of the kitchen for a longer time. The design is aimed at both boys and girls through the colour and styles chosen while maintaining a balance between being fun, and delicate. The secret note-book adds a touch of something private for the child which encourages their sense of independence, building confidence in their own ability to cook in the future and gives them something to be proud of if they believe they have somehow 'improved' the recipe.
Word count: 1582
