Graphics Evaluation Unit 2

Final Piece Print Out

I printed off my design and cut it out to see what it would look like in 3D. 

Final Book Cover

To create my 'The Fault in Our Stars' book cover, I used Photoshop.

I decided to go for an ink print texture for the background, inspired from my emulation and artist copy, so I imported the scanned image into my Photoshop document.

I got rid of the white background using the magic wand tool and then changed the colour of the print from black to blue so that it fits with my chosen colour scheme. I did this by creating a new layer and selecting the inked area and filling it with colour.

I changed the opacity to 50% and changed the blending mode to 'Screen'.

I duplicated the print to fill the rest of the cover. I then created two light grey rectangles. These are the background for the text and emojis.

I drew some emojis in fine liner that are relevant to themes in the story. I scanned them onto the computer and got rid of the white background using the magic wand tool. 

I then drew a long speech bubble with black wax crayon to go on the spine. I scanned it in, used the magic wand tool to get rid of the white background, added the 'Linear Burn' blending mode and then resized it to fit the spine. I added 'Linear Burn' to enhance the colour as it was too pale before hand.

Next, I added details such as 'Messages', phone signal and the battery life to create the look of a smart phone. I drew these out with fine liner and then scanned them into the computer. I then used the magic wand tool to remove the white background and then resized them to fit them all in the top grey box of the front cover.

After that, I drew some speech bubbles in wax crayon. I scanned them in and removed the white background with the magic wand. I added the 'Linear Burn' blending mode.

I selected a handwritten typeface to show the fact that the main characters are only young. I used this font on all of the text. I featured the 'Okay? Okay.' text in the speech bubbles because this is an iconic saying from the book.

I added in the blurb and recommendations to the back page. I imported the barcode from the original 'The Fault in Our Stars' book cover.

After that, I added colour. I coloured in the emojis with the Paint Brush tool. I created white backgrounds for the speech bubbles and charge bar using the Lasso Tool and then filled the selected area with white. Then I changed some parts of text, such as the title, to yellow for contrast. The yellow signifies happiness against the blue background that signifies sadness. This is linked to the themes in the book as the two main characters live ultimately sad lives but give each other joy.

I then selected the areas behind 'Time' and 'Markus Zusak' to yellow, in the shape of speech bubbles to link in with the texting theme of the cover.

I changed the blurb to white to contrast with the other text and the background. I added lines, that I drew with wax crayon, across the edges of the grey boxes to break up the harsh change in colour.

After consideration, I changed a few things around on the book cover. I decided to change the background colour of the top grey band. I made it darker so that the text stands out better from contrasting with the darker colour.

I then got rid of the 'Messages', 'Details' and phone signal so that there was more space for the title. I changed the size and colour of some of the words in the title so that they contrasted from one another. This made it more eye catching.

I changed the colour of the blurb to black, making it more legible in front of the light blue background. I also added a dark grey box underneath the white text, making it more legible. I used the Eraser Tool to create a tatty edge around the box to match the wax crayon lines.

Next, I added flaps to the cover. These give information about the author and quotes from the book and reviewers. I created a background for them by duplicating the layer of the existing blue textured background. I changed the shape by selecting and deleting the part of the duplicate background that I didn't want. On the back page flap I added an image of John Green, a small description of him and some of the other popular books that he has written.

I duplicated one of the wax crayon lines and shortened it by using the Eraser Tool. I duplicated this layer three times to create the wax crayon boarder around the image of John Green.

I added three quotes from the book and two reviews on the front page flap. I then duplicated the wax crayon line layers twice and enlarged them. I rotated them so that they'd go across the flap diagonally. This created a break in-between the quotes and reviews.

I set the reviews so that they are aligned to the right. I coloured the names of the reviewers to dark blue so that they stand out from the background and the rest of the text that is on the page.

Here is my final design.

Develop / Refine / Experiment

I chose the iPhone book cover layout to develop, refine and experiment with. I chose this design because I think that it appeals to the teenage/young adult audience. 

I developed the spine and back cover from the front cover. I drew and wrote in a rough outline of what is going to be in the different spaces of the sleeve, moving a few things around as I drew it out.  

                     
I drew it out again and added the detail. This was so that I could see how it would look when the detail would be in place.

After that, I drew out the flaps. I researched what flaps feature on them then I created my own. This was just a first sketch.

Next I drew out the whole book cover. I wanted to see how the flaps would look with the rest of the design. I experimented with a few different layouts to see which one I liked best.

Colour Scheme

Here I have tested out a few colour schemes for my book cover. 

Case Study

My Typeface

I decided to create this typeface to use on my book cover. 

The dots and lines mimic how constellations are drawn. I decided to go with this theme because there is a well known quote from the book that says 'My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.' The title also links with this typeface as it mentions 'stars'. 

There are names, places and themes featured in the book that are shown in the place of names of stars.

Type Moodboard

Here is my type mood board. 

I have included images of the main characters and quotes from the book/film. This will give me inspiration on what I want my typeface to look like. 

I like the handwritten type. It reflects the fact that the cancer patients were only teenagers and that the majority of their childhood was spent battling cancer. 

Drafting Ideas

Here are my drafting ideas. I took inspiration from my scamps and created four drafts for my front cover. 

I like the first draft as it is eye catching and appeals to a teenage/young adult audience. The use of an iPhone template creates an interesting layout that links to when Hazel and Augustus text each other in the book.

The champagne glass cover is simple and poetic. The stars in the champagne link to a quote in the book, "Do you know what Dom Périgon said after inventing champagne? He called out to his fellow monks, 'Come quickly: I am tasting the stars!'"

The swing set cover is pleasant to look at because it is symmetrical. It links to when Augustus and Hazel are sat on the 'Old Swing Set of Tears.'

The cigarette cover has the title written out on cigarettes. I like this idea as it's unusual but links to the metaphor of cigarettes in the book, "It's a metaphor, see: you put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don't give it the power to do it's killing."

Print Analysis - Written

Emulation

I created a new Photoshop document. I imported in an image of rolled out ink and used 'colour overlay' to make it blue. I chose blue because it had connotations of sadness and that links in with the sad storyline. 

I decided to create a packet of cigarettes to link in with the metaphor that is mentioned in the book. "It's a metaphor, see: you put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don't give it the power to do it's killing."

I used picture of a packet of cigarettes to copy.

I started off by using the lasso tool to select a rectangle of the blue background to delete. When I deleted this, it left a white space. I then drew in two red triangles to create the top of the packet. 

I drew a red line near the bottom with the rectangle tool and then used the rubber to create a white oval in the red part at the top of the box. 

I used a wax crayon to create the text. I scanned it into the computer and imported it into Photoshop.

I resized the text to fit the spaces. I changed the threshold of the text so that they became black and then altered the opacity so that the black wasn't so strong.

I then drew the crest that is featured on the cigarette packet and imported it into Photoshop. I changed the threshold, like with the text, and resized it.

I then drew in a red circle to go behind the crest and created a red/grey line to mimic the edge of the lid.

I added in the title and author's name, resized them and altered the threshold.

Copy

I chose this print by Tatsuro Kiuchi to copy. I liked the messy style and simple shapes that he had used to create the image.

I found the print on Pinterest and followed the website link to a blog that displayed a selection of the artist's work. I looked at his style and his the various prints to see which one I wanted to copy. 

To create a copy of the print, I opened a new Photoshop file and created the pink background. I did this by using an existing image of printed ink. I changed it's colour to match the original and cropped it to create the rectangle shape. 

Next, I used the lasso tool to cut out an outline of the dog. I deleted this selection and was left with the dog shaped white space. 

I created a new layer. I then used the lasso tool to draw an outline for the black dog shape. I filled it with the same print pattern but coloured it grey with the colour overlay effect.

On paper, I drew the sketchy shadow of the dog with a wax crayon. I scanned this into the computer and imported it into Photoshop. 

After I had imported it, I resized it to roughly fit the dog shape. 

I then put a colour overlay on the wax crayon layer and changed the colour to dark brown. 

To make the collar, I used the lasso tool to draw out the shape. I filled the shape with the same colour as on the original and then drew in the buckles and shadows. 

Subject Matter - Contact Sheet

These photos give me something to refer back to when designing my cover or creating drafts.