GDES2014 – Children’s Book Design – Main Brief Part 1

GDES2014 – Children’s Book Design

Main Brief – Research

Grids & layout

As the brief for this module is to produce a spread and a cover for a book, I felt it important to consider effective layout and of course the underlying grid structure.

I found a number of resources online as well as in book from my own collection and from the Hive.  I have “pooled” some of that information here.

Using layout grids effectively

There are two main types of layouts: vertical or landscape. There are also only two types of grids. One that has an even number of columns and one that has an odd number of columns. An experienced designer knows that a specific style of design can only be achieved by an odd number of columns, or alternatively, by using an even number of columns. Illustrated below are common examples of layouts using basic layout grids. Learning to choose the right grid for your design is crucial to its success.

Here are examples of basic vertical layout grids

1 column vertical grid	2 column vertical grid	2 column vertical grid
3 column vertical grid	3 column vertical grid	3 column vertical grid

Here are examples of basic landscape layout grids

1 column landscape grid	2 column landscape grid
3 column landscape grid	3 column landscape grid
4 column landscape grid	4 column landscape grid

Adjusting Your Layout Grid for Your Binding Type

It’s important, as you create your layout grid, that you pay special attention when choosing the type of binding to compensate for the gutter. We’ve all had the experience of losing content in the gutter of a publication, at one time or another, and have learned this lesson the hard way. Illustrated below are examples of a perfect bound spine and a double-page layout grid, where the gutter has been taken into consideration and the proper adjustment made.

The gutter is the blank space between two facing pages. The gutter space is that extra space allowance used to accommodate the binding in publications. It needs special attention because it is not always usable for design and will affect legibility in most cases. For example, a perfect bound spine will take about a ¼” for the glue, so you should consider the first ½” as non-usable. Any type of Wire-O™ or spiral binding, which make it possible for the document to lay flat when open, will have either drilled holes or punched squares for you to consider. With these specific bindings, the first 3/8” should be considered as not usable or illegible space. On the other hand, the gutter of a saddle stitch binding will not have this problem and can easily have an image or text run though it without any legibility issues.

The Rule of Thirds

This rule is used by professional photographers the world over. The rule of thirds works by splitting an image into thirds, so you end up with 9 equal sections, then simply place your main subject where the lines intersect.

The Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci Sequence

The Golden Spiral is based on the Golden Ratio while the Fibonacci Spiral is a spiral based on the Fibonacci Sequence. Both are very similar, and can be used as a compositional tool.

The Golden Spiral

The Fibonacci Spiral

The Golden Ratio is also known as the divine proportion. In mathematics and the arts, two quantities are in the Golden Ratio if the ratio of the sum of the quantities to the larger quantity is equal to the ratio of the larger quantity to the smaller one. Also In mathematics the Fibonacci Sequence are 0 and 1, and each subsequent number is the sum of the previous two: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 55, 89,144, etc.

Always start your design project with a layout grid. No exceptions.

If you don’t, you’ll never be able to repeat that look consistently. Your projects will never have visual harmony and, like anything which lacks structure or a strong foundation, your concepts will be visually inconsistent from one product to another and will always be a struggle to produce. Without a layout grid, graphic elements will not properly work together.

Any high-quality design project, campaign or identity/branding system needs a strong, tested and perfected layout grid system to make it possible to split the work to many designers at one time, so that they all produce the same quality end result with consistency and visual harmony. A layout grid is the invisible force that gives the visible its structure and holds everything in its proper place.

Source – http://www.designersinsights.com/designer-resources/using-layout-grids-effectively

 A little more on the Golden Ratio

The whole concept of a definitive grid ‘system’ is a relatively recent invention in the world of design. Grids have existed intuitively since the earliest days of man drawing and writing, but it’s only recently that layout has been considered in a scholarly fashion, and as such they’ve never existed in isolation from other best-practice, well understood layout tools. One such example of cross-over is where the golden ratio meets the grid.

The golden ratio (also known as the golden mean) determines the most pleasing set of proportions for an element, and is simplified to the ‘rule of thirds’. When used in combination with a grid, these simple rules for size, position and proportion can help ensure a layout feels both coherent within itself, but also appealing aesthetically. Why would you want to appeal in these terms? Because by doing so, you’re making the content more accessible to the reader. Remember that a grid is the invisible glue behind content – in most cases it should be transparent to the viewer.

Source – http://www.creativebloq.com/web-design/grid-theory-41411345

My Pinterest boards

I use Pinterest as a source of inspiration for all of my projects, so rather than post too many pictures here you can have a look at my image research by following the links listed below.

Book Cover Design

link – https://uk.pinterest.com/scottrw2002/book-cover-design/

Layout Design

Link – https://uk.pinterest.com/scottrw2002/layout/

Publication Design

Link – https://uk.pinterest.com/scottrw2002/publication-design/

GDES2014 – Week 1 – Children’s Book Design

Week 1 – Children’s Book Design

Enid Blyton

I have chosen to analyse Enid Blyton and some of her most famous books for this exercise.  I chose her as I have fond memories of her books from my own childhood, particularly Noddy and the Famous Five which I will look at in a little more detail.

• As Blyton was a writer foremost, she worked with a number of illustrators  when realising the characters from her books.
• Since the Blyton texts mainly used very simple language, the work of the illustrators was an important part of the appeal of many of the works.

The two books, or rather series of books, that I have chosen are Noddy and the Famous Five.

Noddy

• Harmsen van der Beek was a Dutch illustrator and commercial artist who was commissioned to work with Blyton on the creation of Noddy.
• The result was the creation of the Noddy series for young children, authored by Enid Blyton – still a major property for animators half a century later. Van der Beek simply signed his work as “Beek”.
• The conscious intention to create a Disney-style sympathetic focus character — a European Mickey Mouse — was reportedly a major factor.
• Beek’s death in 1953 led to a few new illustrators for the Noddy books, amongst which was his assistant Peter Wienk.

The Famous Five

• Eileen Soper (1905–1990) illustrated around 50 Blyton books, including the whole Famous Five series.
• In the 1970s her illustrations for the Famous Five books were replaced with more contemporary ones by Betty Maxey.

Art Style

To keep the content of this post concise, I will concentrate mainly on the art style featured in the Noddy books, illustrated by Harmsen van der Beek (Beek).

The Big Noddy Book (1951)

 

Original Noddy art work – By Beek

Original Noddy art work – By Beek

•  The original artwork style is very soft and warm.
• Charicature is happy and smiley, with bold colours.
• Media used appears to be mostly watercolour and ink.
• It is quite traditional in it’s approach and is definately of it’s time.
• Iconic and instantly recognisable.
• Cartoony in style.
• Content has become controversial and politically incorrect  over time, for example Golliwogs, also Big Ears as it pokes fun at a physical imperfection.

Age group

The books were aimed at young children and would have been read and enjoyed with a parent as a bonding and educational experience.  They can however been enjoyed equally by older children, thanks in part to the illustration style.  There was often a lot going on in the illustrations, inviting the reader to spend time looking for and finding things they have missed first time.

Due to the controversial nature of some of the characters and the fact that the books are no longer considered politically correct, the content was forced to be updated to meet the 20th century.

Noddy Today