02 | Book layout design and illustration
Project Brief
This project requires students to develop a unique concept for a hardcover printed book d0000000ealing with someone whom they perceive to be a person of worth or a person whose story is worthy of telling. The subject must be older than 30 and should still be alive. We were required to conduct in-depth research on our chosen subject, develop an editorial concept and narrative strategy, write partial original text, develop a design concept and execute selective imaging components of the book. We are also required to create self generated imagery throughout.
Deliverables
1. A3 presentation boards
2. A PDF consisting of the following:
- Dust jacket/ Outer cover
- Inner cover
- Two different end papers
- imprint/copyright page,
- Contents page/s
- Contents page/s
- One completed chapter (minimum 4 spreads)
- Three additional chapter titles (or more) presented in spread format,
- A minimum of one additional text and image spread for each of the additional chapters
3. PDF file containing only the text in typewritten format. (click here to read the text)
Design Strategy
My book centers on the life story of my uncle, Jerome Andrew Thomas, who grew up in the Cape Flats and was once entangled in a life of crime before meeting my aunt, Kailash. Each chapter delves into a specific period in his life, recounting his memories from those times. The book’s style incorporates rough hand-drawn illustrations with textures that symbolize the challenges he faced, aiming to provide a more humanistic approach and reflect the bumpy experiences he endured.
The title Dala what you must is a popular phrase in the Cape Town community Jerome grew up in. "Dala" means "to do" and the whole phrase means "do what you have to do". This phrase meant a lot to Jerome growing up as he often ended up in tough situations.
Important landmarks
Visual Style References
Media Exploration
I started off by experimenting with ink, ink with coloured markers and soy sauce to find a medium. In the end I used ink only as it provided enough contrast and the ability to be easily altered digitally to different colours. It was also easy to create more free hand, brutalist illustrations using a paint brush and ink.
Initial Layout Storyboards
Colour And Typography
Illustration treatment
After using ink on paper, the texture was then added digitally lastly the colour was changed to fit the colour palette.
Final Presentation Boards
