Poster Design...

I have been thinking about the design for the advertising poster I am going to produce for the Orion book covers. I am currently struggling with the overall 'shape' of the design, and how to approach it. I am looked for a few inspirational designs that will help me to produce something strong and eye-catching, but hopefully a bit different to the current poster that you see in book stores.

I found these posters at Design Reviver:

1. The main reason I have chosen this piece is because the main focus is a large illustration and the type is secondary, but still very strong. I like the use of the lines that divide up the information, and the use of different type faces (I have used varying typefaces within my book cover designs). The way the type is set and aligned is also nice, and makes the type a focus and a collective set of information

2. I am interested by this piece because it is set at an angle. The design is very simple, but still strong, and the information stands out. I do not think that angled type is appropriate for the book posters, but the simple way the information is presented might work well.

3. This design is very busy around the centre, but simpler around the edges. The whole design is focused around drawing the eye to the type. The type has a shadow on it, which makes it look like it is standing away from the illustration behind, and making is the first thing you look at. The shadow element creates stronger hierarchy.

4. This design is so simple and crisp. I really like the way the photography is used, and that the type is laid over the whole image. The poster makes impact because there is space and air around the type and the image, the colours also contribute because they are so strong and eye catching. The type is in a grey colour, which is softer and friendlier than black, and sits much better with the bright colours in the photograph.

Books posters...

I have managed to find these two posters advertising books online. It is proving difficult to find anything better than these, books advertising seems limited. Anyway, these are quite different in a. what they are advertising, b.who they are aimed at and c. what they are informing you of.

The Lost Symbol; is a very stylised poster. The type is mixed up, with at least 4 different type faces used, one of which is very stylised and swirly. The overall feeling is of something quite exciting, but it is all so over the top and a bit mashed together. The information is obvious and clear, everything is there, it just looks a bit crap.

Harry Potter is much more about the retailer. The promotion is made clear, the type is simple and clean. The book image is repeated, but that doesn't seem odd, it sort of implies popularity and wide distribution. I know that this poster is for Sainsbury's, but there is no Sainsbury's logo or information regarding the retailer. Very different from the first poster, but it is advertising a totally different aspect of the book.

Book promotion...

I have been advised to produce the promotional material for the Orion book covers that I have designed. I have searched online for some hint of inspiration for the types of materials that I should be producing, but any has so far evaded me. I have managed to find a few photographs of various book shop displays, which provide a little insight into the types of design I should be working toward.

This display shows an illustrative images of the book in the centre of the window, with repeated banners either side in bright and eye-catching colours. The books are exhibited on the raised platform below, each relevant to their suspended banner. A very eye catching and strong display, showing the books and their content accurately.

This display is a rather more subdued design. The size makes these more difficult to make out, but the overall feeling is less exciting and more sensible. Still, the banner is large and easy to read from a distance, which is a necessity for any information displayed.

This window design is exciting and bold. There is no single theme here, but a variety of offers and genres of book displayed. The design is interesting and draws the viewer in with the mix and match sense of design. The signage is hand drawn onto blackboards, large and easy to read, but less regimented and styled. This allows the variety within the window to shine through.

This signage is shown within the store; varied and engaging. The designs show diversity, along with clear and defined information. The way the books are displayed is innovative to an extent, and tries to engage the viewer with more than just words or cover design alone. I am impressed with the humour and freshness of these designs.

Sophie Henson...

Sophie Henson is a illustrative typographer. Her work is very eclectic and expressive, it allows personalities to be shown through design and illustration. Her hand drawn style is not individual, but the use of colour combinations, integration with illustrations and her ability to adapt to commercial work. The variety within her work is impressive and it can clearly be adapted to suit different themes.

Work sourced from Behance Network.

Doubletwo Studios...

Doubletwo studios are based in Hamburg. This type face they have designed is similar to cut text idea I have experimented with for my Bazzar branding. The omission of the counters in the majority of the letterforms creates a bubbly feeling, fun and playful. The letterforms with a bowl have remained rounded, these make the overall design feel more childish.

Worked sourced from Behance Network.

Type Playing Cards...

Another lovely piece from Hat-trick Design. These cards each use a different type face to create the shape of their suit. No repeat typefaces were used, so each card is totally individual. I'm impressed by the way the type has been manipulated to create the suit shapes and the style of the overall set.

Type Calendar

I came across this piece on typographyserved.com. It is by a mexican graphic designer called Jasho Salazzar AKA Mouschacho. I picked out this piece because of the use of colour and mulitple typefaces. The design looks screen printed or letterpress, but it is in fact a digital print.

Each page of the calendar is totally different; each using a different colour sheme and a range of typefaces. I think that the overall design is so effective because of the clashing colours, and the feeling of excitement within the design. The designs are actually very simple; the month in three languages and the number of the month - thats it.

What I have learnt from this research:

1. Complimentary colours can work really effectively with a range of type

2. Multiple type faces do not have to clash with each other

3. White space and empty space are very important to a design

4. Repetition is not necessarily a bad thing

Hand-drawn type

Two of the briefs I am working on deal with type, some of which will eventually be hand rendered. The work below is published in the book Hand Job by Michael Perry; which featur
es a whole range of illustrators, mainly focused on typographic design. I have highlighted a few artists as they're work is informing and inspiring my own.

This piece by Andy Beach has a lot of variety within it, I think that it is mainly about experimentation and the exhibition of a range of styles of design. The amount of variety is amazing, and very diverse. The two colour design here helps to highlight the strength of the letterforms, it showcases them well.

This alphabet by Robin Cameron is so beautiful. The letterforms have a sold and strong form, but appear weightless and delicate at the same time. The letterforms are also very decorative and would only be suitable for large type, but that was probably the intention for this design. This alphabet has a very feminine feel, but doesn't feel to flimsy or soft.

This work is by Dan

Funderburgh. His illustration style is very clear, but decorative and animated. These pieces demonstrate his diversity, and the range of styles he uses. The primary use of two colour design makes the type very strong and imposing. It also helps to give it some personality.

I think it is important to note that this work isn't really for anything, it is decorative and nice to see, but has no context here.

This piece is by an illustration company called Human Empire. This design is interesting and quite strong - if a little odd. The way the letters are formed makes them look cut from paper, giving a handmade style to the overall piece.

This work is by Geoff McFetridge. The decorative type is very intricate and bold, which it an unlikely combination, but seems quite popular with hand-drawn type. The style here is clearly hand-drawn, which is engaging and emphasises its beauty.

This final piece is by Adam Hayes. This beautiful illustration style has created a strong and very imposing type design which doesn't feel invasive but light and wispy. It is a very intricate and so delicate - only suitable for very large type, otherwise the detail would be completely lost.

What I have learnt from this research:

1. Intricate and decorative type needs to be large to keep detail clear

2. Using two colour printing can highlight the shape and form of the type better than four colour designs.

3. Hand-rendered type can have a less handmade quality, but still look hand-crafted.

4. The style of type can help to evoke the emotion of the words written in it

5. Hand-drawn type has a huge, and probably infinite range, there is so much diversity to be explored.

All of these images were taken from:

Perry, M. (2007) Hand Job. Princeton Architectural Press; New York, USA

Typographic Books Covers 2

More type based book covers from the Book Cover Archive
This covers uses image to create type. The design is interesting, but a little clumsy. The idea is clever and would attract interest, but the other text on the cover is unbalanced, and doesn't look like it was considered in the overall layout.

The layout of the type on this cover is simple and well balanced. The use of uppercase text helps to balance the white space. The overall shape is a christmas tree - the representation of an image through type is suitable for this sort of book as it encompasses a large number of authors and it enables all of them to be shown on the cover, without it being a list of names. The use of a reduced colour palette makes the text itself stand out more and emphasises the uncomplicated design.

I think that this cover design is really interesting and engaging. The design is made entirely of type, and the variation is size, typefaces and colours creates a sense of excitement and strange craziness. The complimentary colour palette helps to make the title readable, whilst the smaller text breaks up the cover into sections. Overall this cover is very appealing and doesn't dictate it's genre at first glance - having to read the blurb on the back will encourage people to pick it up and have a look.

The design of this cover is de-bossed, making the design harder to pick out - which is rather appropriate for a horror novel. The type face that has been chosen looks gothic and therefore ties in with the theme (though on closer inspection I think it looks like a Western font). The authors name is picked out in black, and uses a different but also decorative type face, which I think clashes with the main title type. It is nice to see a cover that is using more intricate processes to produce designs, but overall I think that this design fails in the execution.

The hand drawn nature of this cover is quite endearing. The inclusion of illustration within the type makes the cover more interesting and more creative. The lack of colour doesn't seem to be apparent because the design is interesting and engaging. the lack of colour also creates intrigue, making the customer want to read the blurb etc.

This cover is VERY plain, but still really interesting. The type has been styled to represent the word 'Oil', which engages the viewer straight away. It seems a little odd that there is no other type on the cover - no author or publisher information. Overall, interesting idea, but not exactly a book cover - more an illustrated word.

This cover is design in a landscape format, which is a little odd. The mixture of type faces is slightly over the top, but it see,s to work quite well. The design seems to represent the type of advertising candidates running for government etc. which is quite an interesting and eye-catching. The limited colour palette is suitable, and clearly represents the genre and theme of the book.

This cover is a little weird. It is designed to look like a worn and used file with type printed across the front in angled lines. The juxtaposition of the typefaces is rather confusing: the black type fits well with the paper file design, where as the red decorative type seems rather out of place against the background. The angle of the type also makes it difficult to read, and crossing of the type seems unfounded and little pointless. Overall, a weird design that is more confusing than anything else.

This cover design is really inventive. It lists everything that the story contains, but gives none of it away, which is quite a challenge. The use of just two colours makes the design really eye catching, whilst the different sizes of type make it quite expressive. Great idea, more book covers should be like this!

Typographic Book Covers

I have been researching book cover designs that use type as the main communication vehicle. I have tried to find mainly fiction novels, as this is the genre in which I am designing, but a few non-fiction covers may have snuck in.

This Tolstoy cover is

very modern considering the content of the novel. The typographic element is strong, but equally complimented by the swirly explosion going on behind it. The sub-heading, author name and publishing information are in a contrasting sans serif, slightly hand-styled type. This gives variety to the cover, and brings a feeling of more constructivist design - note the G in great and penguin. The cover is engaging, interesting and gives little away about the books content.

This cover looks like it has a more low-fi production. The type itself is messy and like it may have been done with a thic

k marker pen. It is an intriguing cover, but doesn't really engage the reader, the design is a little off putting.

This design uses photographed typography. The variety within the design is good, and each is representative of the word. The smaller print is a bit overly decorative when placed next to the decorative title type. A lower key sans serif would have been better, less intrusive to the rest of the design.

This design is interesting - the style of type is strong, but has a hand drawn quality to it. The way the type has been set within a shape makes the design more illustrative, but also gives it more of a context. The colours used are very strong and eye-catching and the type really stands out against the vibrant background.

The design for this cover is very busy and intriguing. The amount of type is unusual, but gives a sense of questioning and philosophy, which the book is essentially about. It is nice to see the use of colour here, showing the title, and then a sub-heading in a hierarchy of colours. Over all this cover is very simple but beautiful and delicate.

This cover is an odd juxtaposition - the low key penguin 70 logo in the top corner, and then this massive uncontrollable design that spreads across the whole page. The style and texture of the design is really interesting and definitely represents the title accurately. The size of the design is good, is uses the page and is a strong and imposing design.

The digital base of this design is strong, but the illustrative additions a sense of foreboding, darkness and something maybe a bit spooky. The design is beautifully executed and well styled, overall is works well as a book cover because it uses the space available.

The typographic design on this cover is very strong, using no illustrative elements or images. The style of the type is unusual, evoking an odd sense of something a little off balance. The body copy section is unusual to see on the front cover of a book, but it sort of breaks up the large and imposing text a little. The colour scheme is simple, two colours and therefore relatively cheap to produce.

This intricate and decorative design is quite interesting. The book is in fact an essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson focusing on transcendentalism. The design may suggest something quite different, maybe something less hard going and philosophical. The intricacies within the design are beautiful, and was obviously design with great care. The design is quite engaging, but is a little vague as to the content.

This design is more about the texture and minimal colour use than the actual type. The stitched aesthetic of the letters is interesting, but doesn't really seem to have a reasoning behind it - at least not one that is clear from the front cover. The sub-title and author type is sort of odd, free floating and random, but is quite cool and different. Overall a weird cover, but then it might be a weird book.

This is a very bold and weirdly explosive cover since the illustrative elements are nature based. The type itself is very clear and nicely balanced down the page. The lack of colour is a bit odd, it doesn't really evoke 'glory'. The overall design is good though, and it has intrigue - I'd like to read it just based on the cover.

What I've learnt from this research:

1. The theme of the book should be apparent from the cover design, but shouldn't give away what the content is about.

2. Hand-drawn and digital type can work equally well, and work well together as long as they are balanced.

3. The overall cover should be balanced - top to bottom, left to right

4. Using to type as a main focus and incorporating illustration as a secondary tool can work well