Penguin Submission Boards

PENGUIN SUBMISSION BOARDS

Penguin Design Award - Submission & Evaluation

SUBMISSION & EVALUATION

SUBMISSION SCREEN SHOTS

EVALUATION

I was really pleased when i found out about the penguin design award brief as i have read many of the puffin and penguin books when i was younger. I had never designed a book cover before but i assumed it would be an easy brief. Before designing i read the book and watched some of the film i took notes and came up with a key concept i would use for my book cover it took me a while to choose what design i would do for my cover.

I think because the brief asks for it to be quite type based i wish i had hand drawn some typography. I decided to use a brush tool to execute the titling as i wanted it to represent the boys in the book ruff and rebellious. I chose to base my design around the burning church in the book i feel like its quite an iconic part of the film and it may make someone want to pick up with cover not knowing what its about. I didn't want to do somthing obvious like a jacket or a knife. I feel like i have a strong concept and I'm pleased with how i executed it.

I found this brief really hard at first simply because i never done a book cover design before and because i felt the brief would be easier than it was it became even harder when i couldn't think of a concept immediately this has taught me not to underestimate a brief even something simple can have its challenges. I am really glad i did the brief as i think i produced a good final resolution apart from the concept i enjoyed this brief and i hope to be able to do this brief again in third year.

Penguin Book Cover - Designing

Penguin Book Cover - Designing the Cover

Before i could begin designing anything i thought it would beneficial to read the book and watch the film. I took notes whilst watching the film so i had key points to begin designing for. I decided to create a mind map of small notes of all the big scenes in the film so i would be able to choose the most important to reflect in my book cover.

As the brief highlights to be quite typographic with the cover my first thought was to research appropriate typefaces i could use.

I experimented with lots of different typefaces but i feel as though nothing fitted the style was going for. I began experimenting with different brush strokes to make the titling of my front cover.

Variations-

With an off white colour i experimented putting the title onto the page-

I also used a drop shadow to give the title more of a 3d effect.

Variations-

For my concept i chose to do my design around the church in the film so i began drawing it in illustrator-

I experimented with a brushed effect to the line to work along side the typeface.

Mocked up with the titling at drawing-

Contents on back using same typeface as artists name-

Experimenting with brush strokes to create flames-

experimenting with water-colour brush strokes-

I tried experimenting with colour but felt nothing looked right a part from off white colour.

I tried experimenting with textures i chose a burnt out piece of paper to help represent the flames.

I next changed the background back to the original colour and i decided to take the drawn church off my page it wasnt working. I carried on experiments and drew some flames on to the document.

I next placed the type in front of the flames. I was really happy with this outcome.

Placing author and text on page-

Blurb-

I next thought i would test how my drawn church would look not he back in small.

| added the flames but smaller to the church on the blurb. I also chose to use a yellow puffin logo on book cover.

Final finished Resolution-

FINALS

Penguin Book Cover - The Outsiders Brief

THE BRIEF

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

The original teenage rebel story . . .

The Socs' idea of having a good time is beating up Greasers like Ponyboy. Ponyboy knows what to expect and knows he can count on his brothers and friends — until the night someone takes things too far.

S.E. Hinton was only seventeen when she wrote The Outsiders. Told in a direct, first-person voice, it is a miracle of honesty with immediate appeal and is still every bit as powerful now as when it was first published in 1967.

Students are invited to design a whole new cover look for The Outsiders, in order to bring this classic to a new generation of readers, ensuring that this timeless story remains an integral part of every teenager's bookshelf.

Your cover design needs to include all the cover copy as supplied and be designed to the specified design template (B format, 198mm high x 129mm wide, spine 17mm wide).

What the judges are looking for:

We are looking for a striking cover design that is well executed, has an imaginative concept and clearly places the book for its market of both teenagers, to pick up and buy for themselves, and adults to buy for them. While all elements of the jacket need to work together as a cohesive whole, remember that the front cover needs to be able to work on its own and 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 and 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 the many other book covers it is competing against
be able to sit on the shelves of a supermarket or ebook store as easily as it sits on those of more traditional bookshops

Re-Written brief :