Editorial Design: OKON The calling
Description
To create a collection of original short stories about a compelling fictitious character, the concept of the project is the moments after which everything was different. The stories portray the life of the chosen character, genre and reflect the narrative experiences to the reader, by fostering a link between storytelling, the character’s experiences and the perception of their world.
Deliverables
1. Presentation boards (a minimum of 4 A3 boards, showing all the book spreads).
2. A single PDF file containing: a dust jacket, cover (front, spine and back), endpapers, title page, imprint page, contents page(s), 1 completed chapter (a minimum of 4 text spreads) and 3 chapter title pages in spread format or 3 text spreads (these additional text spreads can contain mockcopy, but the introduction paragraph must clarify the chapter’s content).
3. An MS Word or google document containing only the text of the book.
Rationale
Based on African Mythology, fantasy, and folklore (African-inspired fiction), the collection of compelling short stories revolves around the life of Okon Awolowo, whose name is of native Yoruba, West African origin and means ‘born in the night’, a symbol of the prophecy linked to his birth and identity.
Set in the fictional village of Amadia, West Africa in the 1970s, Okon the Calling follows the thrilling story of a young man who must make the ultimate sacrifice to find his identity or fulfil the prophecy of the “One Chidubem” to restore “enem” (peace) to his community. The short stories reflect his journey of moral diversity from the age of 12, the moment after which everything was different.
The prominent themes present in the collection of stories are morality versus immorality, religion versus the supernatural (specifically the deities, spirits and ancestors who influence the lives of the characters within the stories). The visual style depicts an embodiment of the 1970s mythology and traditional bible typeface and layout, alongside the use of a modern black and red colour scheme to further echo the dichotomy between traditional and modern. The portraits are visually emotive and hyper-realistically rendered with charcoal to capture and portray each character’s emotions throughout the book. The red halo used for Okon is a symbol commonly associated with significant figures in religious artworks.
Since the story is set in the 1970s in West Africa, the book also includes writing in the Yoruba dialect. The combination of the charcoal illustrations and the structured layout aims to create a sense of emotional density for the reader while allowing them to feel for the characters.
To view the book contents and layout, please click here
To view the process work, click here
The book cover, imprint and title page and dust jacket.
The endpapers
The watercolour, hand-painted and stamped patterns are inspired by the Yoruba indigo-dyed cloth Adire eleko, made in Nigeria. The cloth design is influenced by Olokun, the Yoruba Orisha/ Goddess of the sea, a deity present in the collection of short shories.
The contents page(s) and chapter title page.
Chapter one (completed chapter)
Chapter one spreads
Chapter two and four
Chapter three
