GDES2014 Children's Book Design

Professor Maggie Andrews looks over final work submissions from yr 3 students.

All of the final Children's Book Design submissions are now in for this year (yr 2 and yr 3 groups) and we've just had a chance to look over what each student had produced in the final submission sessions too.

There's some really interesting ideas and loads of different treatments and ideas for formats etc.. It's going to keep me busy but I'm looking forwards to looking into the work in more detail in the next few weeks.

Our final hand-in for the module this week (yr 3) was also attended by our client this year: Professor Maggie Andrews of the University of Worcester. Maggie had chance to look around all of the yr 3 design boards and start to take some notes/ref pics that will feed-in to the next stage, she adds:

"I was really impressed by the thought and research that went into the designs that students had produced and which exceeded my expectations. Some of them were of a really professional standard and were both informative and appealing to children. I am looking forward to utilising some of these designs and parts of these designs with a range of community, groups schools and museums that I work with exploring the history of WWI and food."

The plan from here will be to create a shortlist of 10 or so 'preferred' design solutions.

Some of this work will be displayed initially at a linked 'WW1 & The Home Front Talk/Cooking Workshop for Children' at the impending Malvern Food Festival on Monday 25th May by tutor Andy & Professor Maggie Andrews.

The aim is then to display these and other boards at UW's City Campus at a Conference on 26th June for 6th formers on 'Children: War and Violence'. This conference takes the recent centenary of the First World War and the seventieth anniversary of the VE as triggers to discuss aspects of children's relationship to war and violence in the last 100 years; asking how children's imagination and everyday lives have been shaped by conflict and violence.

Comments from 2nd year students on the latest module taught:

"I liked how structured the module was, it was clear what was expected of us."

"I could use my own illustrations with the brief."

"Interesting subject that will hopefully help me after Uni as I have an interest in this area."

"The trip to (The London Bookfair) was really resourceful & FUN."

"I liked having a ‘live’ brief to work to."

"(The module) very well organised. You can always ask (lecturers) for help."

"The blog and e-mails always helpful."

"Supportive feedback from tutor and peer assessment."

"I liked learning about children’s book design in general – including children’s development."

"I liked the challenge of designing for an age range like this."

"... as I started to research (the brief) I really enjoyed it, think it’s a really useful brief."

Student Design Boards in alphabetical order:

Gdes2014: Weds Yr 2 Session
(Please remember that these images are low res and for reference purposes only, your client will use these to help make initial decisions on what artwork/boards they wish to look at in more depth).

ADAMS, Sophie

Why key research refs inspired your design?
Archie's war inspired my design with the inclusion of having a soldier character throughout. The use of the soldier character was to be a guide throughout giving facts to children about the recipes during the war time. I looked into other information books for children and determined that the use of the character would enhance the children's learning and guide them throughout. The soldier would be used to give the user some factual information about the recipes and war time during WW1.The style of my book was also inspired from this book cover with the scrapbook approach. The use of the layered background and design on top along with the handwritten typography also makes reference to the scrap book style.

Why are your designs for your cover, spread and worksheet effective?
I have used flags across all spreads to show the consistency and relation in designs. This was done with the intention to express England throughout the war using the colours from the Union jack. The use of the three main bold colours such as red, white and blue are also used to enhance the Union Jack. The use of contrasting minimal colours creates a hierarchy of information presented on the page. This hierarchy is shown through the use of the main heading in the bunting then the subheadings are in a bold typeface

What considerations with materials have you used?
My background throughout has a textured look to give a feel of that time era. If this was in a printed form it would be in a textured feel to be more enticing to the user. The paper would almost have a grain and rough texture to also enhance this.The main spreads would be in a similar textured background however the paper would be glossy having a more professional finish.

BRASIER, Kirsty

1. Key research references that inspired my final design were Eric Carle's illustrations and hand-rendered elements in design which has resulted in a very unique artefact.
I also wanted to commemorate 101 years since WW1 which is why I included the iconic poppy in my design

2. The cover, spread and work sheet are effective because they work together as a system as they contain the same stylised illustrations and typography. I think the double page spread is interesting because I tried to make it look like the fruits were falling through the page.

3. The materials I used include potato-stamping, ironed milk, collage and gouache paint to create a dynamic, mixed media piece which I believe is appropriate because it portrays a feeling of being home- made

BUDVYTYTE, Gintare

1. My main research that inspired me was a cookbook called 'They Draw&Cook' because of they adopted different styles and approaches to recipes. Also they brought in funny characters that inspired me to create my own character. And then the other one recipe book: ' the illustrated Student Cookbook'. Because i'm an illustration student i found illustrations really eye-catching and the way they use one main color on the page is very smart. I adapted that idea and my background color is yellow as eggless sponge is kind of yellow too.

2. My cover, double page spread and worksheet are effective because i made my cookbook as an interactive cookbook with pull outs and windows that children can open. Also, my character is funny and its all illustrated.

3. I used only digital coloring and everything was made digitally, but at the same time they don't look as made digitally. So i think that it is a smart idea to approach kids.

BURTON, James

A trip to the London book fair was inspirational to my work as I could see a vast range of creative book designs and illustrations displayed. The work of Horrible Histories illustrator Martin Brown was a great influence as well as the illustrator Adam Larkum, who produces much work for the children's publishers Usbornes.

I believe I have created relevant imagery needed for the brief, the cover has been designed to depict a soldier from the WW1 era eating my choosen recipe. A step by step guide has been developed through illustrations for the worksheet, and relevant imagery such as
a Sopwith Camel to convey the WW1 theme. The worksheet was based on the questions provided from the resource sheet, I felt that the questions revert to
modern day so I created the illustrations to revert back to today. A promotional poster has been created to again depict WW1 soilders eating my choosen recipe.
Overall, I think each element required for the brief is effective as I have used appropriate colours, and made the designs visually appealing as well as
including a wordsearch for entertainment.

In terms of materials I have opted for quite a thick paper to withstand wear and tear of children. The paper can easily be laminated so that children can draw on the
worksheet and it can be easily erased. I have considered how my work would work and look across other media formats, which I have documented on my blog. Additional
features such as animation could be introduced on other media devices. Please refer back to my blog designingforbooks.blogspot.com

Clee Stephanie

(Tutor Andy: Wording not supplied/e-mailed during hand-in session. Stephanie can you please supply your answers to the 3x quick Q's to help explain your solutions to your client on this module - thanks.)

Coley Stephanie
[Pic here]

A- the research that i used to help me come up with ideas and designs. was from ww1 i based it around the parcels the brown packaging and also the postcard. i was inspired by the personal post cards as most of the post cards sent to loved one on the front line were hand embroided.

B- i think that my designs are effective because i feel that they fit in with the theme i was intended to go down . but also it attracts the child's attention. with the interative parts.

C- the material i used was brown packaging paper the reason u wanted to use this as it was right for the style i wanted. but also with the brown paper it gives that old vintage style. with the added features i considered a parcel where i would open up and the instructions would flap down. i did this because as it makes the child want to touch and feel which was the able i was going for.

FAIRFAX, Josh

A) I did the main body of my research on Pinterest as i found it a very easy and useful way to compile a large amount of research and also you can constantly refer to it along the way.

B) I believe my designs for my spread and cover work well because i have taken all of the key points from my research and applied them to my work.

C) The only different material that i have incorporated into my work is a sticker effect, where you remove a sticker from one page and place it on another, i believe that this is an effective additional feature as it is an interactive feature for the children to take part in.

(Tutor Andy: You may want to add a little more detail here Josh to try to help your client fully understand your outputs/their aims).

GALE, Jordi

What key research refs inspired your find and designs and why?
Looking into WW1 propaganda posters was my main source of inspiration, using the graphical style and block colours in my designs. Lauren Child inspired my work through her technique of collage, I mixed hand rendered elements with photo's to be experimental and create an in depth and professional finish to my designs.

Why are your designs for your cover, spread (s) and worksheet (s) effective?
I think my designs are effective because I throughly researched into WW1 using a lot of aspect from this time period, this authenticates my work. I also think my work is effective because I have included a character, whilst reaching into children's books I found this to be an effective technique to engage children within the book and keep their attention.

What considerations with materials and or added features have you used and what are these appropriate?
I scanned in my own hand rendered elements and mixed this with photography. For other aspects I sourced images from online, I think using a mixture of techniques really layers the designs creating an interesting composition that will appeal to children. Creating my hand rendered elements I tried to not be perfect with the drawing to crete a child-like sense to my recipe book, children relate with this kind of imagery and it engages them more.

GELDARD, Laura

I implemented a mix of traditional and digital media mixed together to create my finished images. The idea was to create something that was eye-catching as well as something that didn't rely solely on digital media. I wanted to create something that was fun and interesting to look at, simply written and straightforward in terms of layout and design. The main illustrations where are by drawing straight into Paint Tool Sai and then scanning in small watercolor paintings I'd made and using them to colour in the drawings. I edited them slightly to make the colors more vibrant and contrasting. Given that after looking into existing books during the war many were rather dull and monotonous in colour, so I chose to make my illustrations vibrant and playful in contrast to that.

HAYES, Emily

My final pieces were inspired from the research I did into The Women's Land Army, the idea of farming and home grown foods within the WW1. I chose this idea because it helps teach children where the different fruit and vegetables come from which is what i further carried on into my task sheet design and it also keeps within the WW1 theme.

I think my designs are effective because they're bright, full of colour and I've used a large scale illustration for the double page spread with a few creepy crawly characters which keeps the design fun and interesting for children.

I decided to use paint and pen which offered me a wide variety of textures and flexibly in achieving an aesthetic style. I also had a lot of fun using potato prints as it gave me simple textured shape that i was able to further work into.

JEFFREE, Vicky

My visual inspirations came from a handful of illustrators including Beatrix Potter, Harriet Russell and Sara Fanelli. My intention was to give the recipe book a handmade, scrapbook feel using found materials such as torn paper, as well as a rustic tone that would be fitting of the World War One home front. I wanted my design to evoke a fascination with the countryside so used soft, muted colours and playful characters that children would be attracted to.

LEWIS, Clare

Research: princess Mary's gift tin. Inspiring story, good visual device. Archie Dobson's war. Good children's perspective, interesting story.

Effective: - interactive; flap
- hand illustrated imagery
- bright images (instructions)
- fun tasks, interesting
- clear instructions and uncluttered pages

Features: I've used a flap as an additional feature to encourage the child to touch and get involved with the book. Papers were used to relate back to the time frame, and the feel of the war.

(Tutor Andy: You may want to add a little more detail here Clare to try to help your client fully understand your outputs/their aims).

LONG, Joel

A: The biggest inspiration that came from my research was in the Imperial War Museum and their exhibition on the Women's Land Army, more commonly nicknamed the Land Girl's. These women who came from being the average housewife's before the war, to being the essential backbone of Britain when our nation faced starvation. over a quarter of a million volunteers signed up to be in the Land Army immediately to fight a war of their own, to fight the supply cuts made by the German's with hard work and determination, really joining in the 'effort' to feed our country which had been knocked to it's knees.

B: The first point I feel my work has been successful is the combination of traditional imagery and modern overlay brings a playful and inviting aura to my designs, it may not be the neatest work but it is proven that children prefer visual freedom in a book to accommodate for their energy and enthusiasm, rather than a mundane, heavily structured text. The second reason I believe my work has been produced effectively is the 'messy' style throughout the book will also encourage the child to experiment more, allowing them the ability to learn while having fun at the same time. My children's book design connects to both kinaesthetic and visual learners, instructing the child to physically learn in a playful manner using bright and vibrant colours.

C: Especially on the front and back cover spread, I feel that the use of period fabrics to manually produce a ploughed field in a digital collage was not only effective but more than definitely appropriate. The hessian which I used is relatable to the front line as they used hessian for sandbags to construct the trenches defences, it is equally relatable to the 'Home Front' as that is the material they used to bag and store produce harvested from the fields.

MISTRY, Mitali

What key research references inspired your final designs and why?
I looked into vintage cook books aimed at children and compared them to current ones. One in particular company was Usbornes who inspired my design approach whereas the vintage cookbooks influenced my choice of colours.

Why are your designs for your cover, spread and work sheet effective?
I took a cute approach by using a character for children to familiarize with. Integrating a character that talks to the children brings the experience to life. I also used clear white backgrounds as to not drown out and confuse the design.

What considerations with materials and added features have you used, and why are these effective/appropriate?
I used watercolor paintings and inking to give my work a traditional feel rather than being blatant with the theme and bombarding my designs with world war decor.

OLIVER, Ally

What key research refs inspired your designs and why?
Children's books like Archie's War were definitely references that inspired my designs as I really liked the scrapbook, layered style and thought it worked well for children's books. But I would have to say all of my WW1 research were the key research refs as it created a whole range of ideas.

Why are your designs for your cover, spread & worksheet effective?
First of all id would say the fact that they all link make it effective as a whole, with the photoshopped character, colour scheme and typefaces. With the double page spread you can clearly follow the steps, read the information but it still has a quirky style appealing to that younger audience. The worksheet is effective because of the use of things like the old postcard and making the top look like an old newspaper which add subtle hints to the the past. An effective thing on my cover is the this book belongs to feature as it personalises the book for the user.

What considerations with materials or added features have you used and why are they effective/appropriate?
I haven't really considered added features, but I would say I would want a strong gloss quality paper stock for the book as it will be used in the kitchen which can get messy and for the worksheet it would have to be a matt paper as my worksheet includes colouring tasks.

REYNOLDS, Hannah

(A) My key research materials for my final designs were based around existing similar products and the research done at the London book fair, taking influence from existing cookbooks and children books, what makes them work and what elements they use.

(B) Every aspect of my design is linked by a common pattern, the food camouflage, this gives the viewer a clear connection and gives the project an overall identity.

I think the type I've chosen to use is appropriate for the audience and the project. its relatively easy for children to read and is still interesting

(C) The front cover would use a range of different textured materials to make the cover more tactile.

The paper weight would be a medium weight and would be a laminated paper in order for easy wipe and keeping it clean.

ROBERTS, Jonathan

1. The research that I have done has been important because it has set a foundation to what the core of the brief is. (looking at history of book design.

2.My designs are effective because they reflect what I set out to do and the research I did to match it. I looked at a ration book and trie to do it the best I could

3. The materials that I considered were thinking about binding in my research

(Tutor Andy: You may want to add a little more detail here Jon to try to help your client fully understand your outputs/their aims).

ROHMAN, Francesca

The key research that influenced me with my designs was looking into detail about WW1, thinking about the meaning and and effects of their posters. This then gave me the idea of using the military theme through the book. Research on my target audience was also something that helped me to achieve the system of the children working through the cook book and achieving a certificate to keep them engaged with the book.

I think that my design is effective because it reaches the target audiences interests in having a sense of achievement .

My considerations with material was to use photoshop and illustrator accordingly to achieve the the outcome that I first set out to achieve.

ROUGHLEY, Kate

(Tutor Andy: Wording not supplied/e-mailed during hand-in session. Emily can you please supply your answers to the 3x quick Q's to help explain your solutions to your client on this module - thanks.)

THOMAS, Courtney

What key research refs inspired your final designs and why?
World War posters were my main source and inspiration I wanted to be as rustic and resemble world war as it's a world war cook book.

Why are your designs for your cover. worksheet and double page spreads effective?
They are interactive, personal and playful which I think is a good element to have in a children's cook book.

What considerations with materials and or added features have you used and why are these affective/appropriate?
I'd consider a matt paper to be used for the pages of this book, making colouring and other worksheets easy to draw/write on and give a textured feel to the paper not making it glossy and fancy. Matt paper helps give it he rustic feel of world war.

TURNER, Hannah
[Pic here]

Multiple artists inspired different parts of my spreads, how I designed my characters and developed my ideas, what media I decided to use. I looked into Jon Klassen and how he made his characters with different medias, I also looked at Julia Pott with her charming drawings and patterns.

As I have done a purely illustrative spread sheet, this is appealing to the viewer and is different from a graphic cook books out there. As my illustrations are not complex and detailed this doesn't intimidate the children.

The media I chosen is water colour and this very appealing to the age range we were creating our spreads for as I have looked into other children books and water colour is a popular media as the water colour creates a nice texture when dry.

TURNER, Laura

A. The key references I have used throughout this module are Trenches. I have linked all of the different elements used in my design, such as the title, Trench Kitchen, trench map background and the trench activity on the worksheet. Creating an Rat as my avatar was also to engage the children, as they are attracted to gruesome, gory things.

b.I feel the designs for my front cover, recipe page and worksheet are effect because of the media I used. I have created quite a busy design for my book, but the hand rendered illustrations really make it come to life with the use of drop shadows used. Also the use of sepia tones on the majority of the design but with my illustrations being in a bolder color I feel it is eye catching.

c. I printed my final design out onto matte paper, I feel this gives it a nice finish and gives it a professional look. The use of layers in my work really helped me creating depth and texture to my work.

WATSON, Ele

1) The research i have done that i found a massive help is the children s age group task we did and also going to Worcester museum for research was really helpful.

2) I feel that they are good because of the map i have used on it, it shows the countries that were in the war and is very interesting. and also the activity page is for the higher end of the target audience with the word search and at the lower end with the picture that you colour in.

3) The material i want to use is to make it look like a map so the glossy feel that you get on a map.

(Tutor Andy: You may want to add a little more detail here Ele to try to help your client fully understand your outputs/their aims).

WEBSTER, Jack

A.) For the shop concept on the Recipe Spread and the Activity Worksheet I looked at the shop facade designs from Eric Ravilious's 'High Street.' The Book Jacket Design adopts the visual collage technique from the Peter Blake's 'Sgt. Pepper's' album cover. The blue tiling pattern is a decorative design I discovered in The Commandery Museum, and so I have re-appropriated it into a background to express the semiotics of a kitchen interior and to evoke the aesthetics of the 1910 era.

B.) The Recipe Spread conceptually manifests on the aesthetics of elements associated with the Home front. These include illustrations of figures such as the kitchen maid; the flags acknowledge charity efforts and the collaged cut-outs establish visual consistency with the book jacket technique.

The worksheet questions relate to the content addressed in the Recipe Spread, e.g: the 'design your own flag' correspond to the Flag Day's fact box and the measurement question consolidates with the shop concept.

To expand on the aesthetics of shops from the 1910 era I hand-painted the typography of 'Meatless Stew' to emulate the tradition of painting shop fronts.

C.) The Ration Book tab feature is a unique interactive method of presenting the ingredients list. The inclusion of recycled brown paper enhances the emulation of holding an authentic Ration Book. The idea of displaying the ingredients in a separate tab materialized when I found a book called Town: Yesterday and Today at the London Book Fair 2015 that adopts a similar feature.

WILLIAMS, Scott

A - I looked at a multitude of WW1 reference books, books inspired by the Great War and children's books on the subject to try identify themes and similarities. Semiology informed my design a great deal as I tried to create a book that would be fitting of the time period, whilst also adding a modern twist and an element of fun that would appeal to younger minds.

B - My cover, spread and activity sheet are effective because they communicate the WW1 theme effectively whilst adding fun illustrations, as well as a character (Private Pigeon) who is there to offer hints & tips. I tried to incorporate educational elements too, in the form of WW1 trivia and tidbits. The cover went through many revisions as initially it was a little too sophisticated and sterile looking to appeal to the age group.

C - Although I considered add ons such as lift tabs and pull outs, ultimately I felt they were inappropriate for this project as the intention is to create an e-book. Instead I chose to visualize how a digital version of my spread may look on a tablet device.

ZAMMIT, Joe

The most important reference for me was actual photo's of soldiers in world war 1, I was able to gain a larger knowledge of what kind of setting to place the character in and how to get the gritty image of the trenches within the background.

My designs are effective because they were able to incorporate the scene of the war, and also created a fun character that was able to inform the reader. The activity sheet provided a good contrast between the work of cooking and the fun of a wordsearch.

I just used a graphics tablet because we had to do it digitally and I had a wider range of capabilities with the brushes.

Friday AM, yr 3 Group
(Please remember that these images are low res and for reference purposes only, your client will use these to help make initial decisions on what artwork/boards they wish to look at in more depth).

ALLEN, Aimee

A - What key research refs inspired your final designs & why?
The historical side of the the war inspired my design style. I wanted it to be inspired by a ration book, also making it ore interactive with the children using it. So history books really inspired my design.

B - Why are your designs for your cover, spread and worksheets effective?
Looking at my research, most childrens cook books had illustrations displayed on the front cover and photography put through out, so i wanted to keep with the illustration style at least including this in my front cover, with the vectorized images round. The font i also find is very child friendly and not to over crowded and is still legible and bold. I wanted to keep it consistant as possible, making sure that it all relates.

C - What considerations with materials and added features have you used and why are they effective?
I played around a lot with hand drawn font and wanted to include this is in my design work, Also hand drawing all the illustrations which were then turned into the images through out the book. Youll also see with the banner on the activity page that there was tartan being used as the image itself.

BAILEY, Rachael

WHAT KEY REF INSPIRED YOUR DESIGNS AND WHY?
My designs were based on wartime newspaper spreads and ration books, I originally, had the simple content arranged by colour, but by doing it this way it really linked in the world war one element to the recipe's. Also it was much more engaging and involved the photographs of each step of the recipe fittingly.

WHY ARE YOUR DESIGNS FOR YOUR COVER, SPREADS AND WORKSHEET EFFECTIVE?
The designs are effective because they involve world war one, children, and their effort to the war, the egg collection in the worksheet for example. the double page spreads are very striking with the large headlines and the well known structure which is important when it comes to displaying information. This makes it easy to follow with no confusion.

WHAT CONSIDERATIONS WITH MATERIALS AND ADDED FEATURES HAVE YOU USED AND WHY ARE THESE EFFECTIVE/APPROPRIATE?
I looked into hardback covers, knowing that when it comes to long life with children books needs to be hard wearing, with rounded corners for safety as young children tend to learn with their mouths. Also because of this the ink needs to be non toxic.

BARNETT, Nathan

a) The research I looked at were towards collage based designs and i was really intrigued by the fruit picked and football in the trenches which i obtained in my research, these made a huge influence into my final designs and helped produce my work sheet and one of my recipes.

b) My designs were effective as my user testing help support my final aesthetic solutions. furthermore, these design's were suited to the target audience and kept a consistent theme throughout which suggested unity towards all of my material submitted.

c) There were considerations made towards making the book a hardcover book, and the print size, I wanted the book to be smaller than most commercially printed books so the ergonomics towards the book would be more suited towards children and would be much more portable and easier to carry around with them.

BEATTIE, Hannah

Dazzle camouflage and illustration are two key elements that have inspired my designs for this project. They work together to create visual chaos.

I think the designs are effective because their quirky and energetic. Their different and a little bit over the top, but i think thats what makes them interesting.

The worksheet adds an interactive feature to the work. The child is able to spend time coloring in the images and then interact with others by playing a game similar to snakes and ladders.

(Tutor Andy: You may want to add a little more detail here Hannah to try to help your client fully understand your outputs/their aims).

CHILLINGTON, Jennifer

A. The key research and reference that inspired my final design was stared by some war posters I came across that were bold with colour and just text and that's what I was aiming mine to look like while adding a child like side to it.

B. My designed for my cover and spread are effective I believe because the use of colour on and in it is showing the essence of war time with the green for the soldiers uniforms and the constancy of the knifes and folks throughout give it a nice touch.

C. The added features within my design are the work sheet that I have decided to do the word search because I thought it would be effective with children getting there mind working. There are not many other added features but could easily be turned into some, I have chose to do it in a A5 format because it is a nice size for children to hold and store away.

DAVIES, Emily

A- The key research references that inspired my designs, were looking into childrens illustration art style, WW1 cookery posters, and books that have already been produced around the WW1. I researched these areas as i found that they enabled me to find a good basis to start creating some initial designs.

B- I feel that the my designs are effective as they reflect the theme of scrapbooking well as well as the topic of WW1. The colour scheme and typefaces i have used were based on the research that i had conducted. With the use of photographs that i have taken and hand drawing sketches straight onto the computer helps me create the desired scrapbook effect.

C- The materials in which my final designs should be printed in would be standard paper, this is due to the final design needs to be used in schools therefore the costs need to be kept to the minimum. The size of the paper would be A4 as this is a standard size for printing, so the costs would no be too high.

DE OLIVEIRA, Luma

A - The key research findings that influenced my designs were the role of boy scouts and girl guides during World War one. It was interesting to understand and explore how children lived during that period and how they helped in the war effort. In terms of design the work of Lauren Child and Marcia Williams influenced the idea behind the artwork and the characters.

B - The spreads and cover mix the old and the new together, making it appealing to children. I also tried to make the spreads personal by creating characters that would talk about their daily activities in their diary page. The recipes are illustrated in a staged infographic style which makes it easy to follow. Although the book is about WW1 I tried to keep it colourful. All the information is display in bite sized format in order to keep children interested.

C - I tried to keep the pages in a format which would be easier to print in schools. To enhance the personal approach I've taken on the recipes I've added little envelopes with some extra information. On the worksheets I've also made it a open up page which gives children extra activities.

GARWOOD, Tara

A. What key refs. inspired your final designs and why?
I mainly looked at 90s children's cook books for their simplicity of instructions. I also looked at illustrators like Chris Riddell, for inspiration behind my illustrations.

B. Why are your designs for your cover, spreads, and work sheet effective?
I feel that by having a raw, hand drawn illustrative images, is more effective, in having the feeling of world war one. As there wasn't computers in those days, I felt that by having less computer generated elements would work better to having the theme of world war one. I kept the theme of hand drawn all the way through the book, to ensure consistency, and by drawing them myself I was able to keep them all the same.

C. What considerations with materials and or added features have you used and why are these effective/ appropriate?
Considerations I made were, the printing elements, so ensuring that the images were at a high quality to make sure that if blown up to a bigger size like A3 for easier for children to read, it worked perfectly. I made one of activities a practical one, so that it wasn't all just paper based work, but if needed it could be adapted to paper based if resources weren't available.

HALSALL, Jessica

1. For research of my final designs, I looked at Grandma related recipe books. They all inspired me to create my final designs. I looked at these because I needed recipe books that have that 'grandma' feel to them. I also looked at recipe books designed for children from different generations, some were published years ago, and some published in 21 Century.

2. For the worksheet, it is effective to get the children working together and remembering what they have been taught already at school. It also is an opportunity for teachers to tell the children more about the points.

3. (No wording).

KOYUM, Shahina

(Tutor Andy: Wording not supplied/e-mailed during hand-in session. Shahina can you please supply your answers to the 3x quick Q's to help explain your solutions to your client on this module - thanks.)

LINSDELL, Jennifer-Kate

1 - The key research I looked at what mainly to connect to why I wanted to create an e-book, and the stats that came with this that proved why creating this with interactivity would be a positive thing in the classroom. My research also looked into cookery books which I wanted to connect to as much as possible and to make my designs as gender mutual as possible.

2 - My user testing and peer assessment really support why I thought my designs were successful. They help the child to become really engaged into the book and the subjects that come along with them. The designs are bright, colourful and answer the themes that come along with this brief.

3 - I chose to create interactivity in my pages, as again it gives the children a chance to really engage in the subject. The interactivity differs from page to page so that helps really well also. Considerations with materials include the fact I have created an e-book so that it saves paper and other elements to help this be a 'green' design.

MATTHEWS, Jessica

A. Old and new cooking and history books for children.

B. My cover shows army based style, with typography and colour scheme. With the bunting being welcoming.
My reward chart has the personal touch of adding name, school and class and experience. Competition between children in school about so all recipes. With fun stickers as the rewards for every 2 recipes they do. Clear PDF, that's works on all platforms.

C. Materials - clear and easy PDF versions, reward charts and sticker rewards for home and school that can be personalised, as well as a paper book. Simple colours, colour stickers but not over whelming.

MCCARTHY, Claire

1. I think the main references that I used when reasserting for this module was the work of other artists. As I am mainly an illustrator I wanted to create something that was very obviously hand drawn. When researching books like Charlie and Lola one of the main things I noticed was that young children respond very well to more simple illustrations because it gives them a sense that they can emulate it themselves.

2. I think that the first way that my designs are effective is due to the colour scheme and layout choices. I intentionally chose a bright and cheerful colour scheme that was gender neutral to appeal to all types of children. I also intentionally decided to use a simple grid layout and I think that this helps as it gives the same simple layout for each page.

3. I think the biggest consideration I made with regards to added features was to be sensible and realistic with my own abilities. As I have said before in my learning journal I am not a digital designer, so I wanted to focus on designing something that was within my abilities, but could easily be adapted when given to someone with the appropriate knowledge.

MILLS, Lauren

QA. The designs produced for the project were inspired by modern vector illustration techniques noted from an animation video by Think Bubble Illustration. The graphical elements of design such as colour and typography have been influenced by features produced in propaganda posters which where iconic forms of design during the World War One era.

QB. The cover design for the book works effectively to gain attention from a younger audience, the concept of the book itself introduces children to a selection of World War theme avatars 'The Homefront Kids' and Rex a soldier at war. These characters have been featured over various pages of the book in order to support and guide children through each of the recipes featured inside, enabling youngsters a source of recognition, memorable facts, information and activities. The visuals of the book I feel would also attract youngsters as they feature a mixture of contemporary and traditional elements, the content being simple yet clear allowing a child to read and understand the book without assistance.

QC. I have considered the format of the book size to enable this to become adaptable for a variation of different applications, the chosen shape and size of the book design is small enough to be printed on A4 sheets yet also adaptable to create as a digital format. If the book was to be produced I would consider adding an added extra by featuring a seeded slice of paper that children could plant encouraging them to grow their own ingredients just like children in the war.

MORRIS, Hannah

A: I was particularly inspired by a book called "Food is Fun" by Cathy Olmedillia. It's a beautifully designed and well constructed cross between a scrapbook and an old fashioned-annual. This book contains fun recipes, activities, and informative profiles of different fruit and vegetables.

B: I believe that my final outputs are effective because of the fun and eye-catching illustrations which create consistency as they appear on every page and engage the children. Also, the unique and distinct style, balances the war and cooking theme perfectly.

C: As this resource pack needs to be able to be downloaded, any added features such as pull tabs would not be transferable to an eBook or PDF. However, if my design were to be an eBook, Rodger and Ronnie the rats would come to life when you touch them and speak rather then display speech bubbles. Other added features would be animated such as the poppy or pen. Children would be able to turn the page and zoom in and out with their finger. The eBook would also allow for font size to be increased so that visually impaired readers can enjoy it too.

MOWBRAY, Amy

A. A range of key research references influenced my final designs. I wanted to have a modern design with an 'older' feel, hence the tea stain and modern typefaces.

B. I believe the designs for my cover, spreads and worksheets are effective as they follow a simple theme, allowing them to be suitable for all child age ranges, and the typefaces are strong, bold and modern yet child friendly and easily legible. The theme follows throughout; tea stained background, reuse of typefaces etc.

C. I have considered the way the design can be printed. The design has been worked to a3, but is mainly based on an a4 print making it suitable for cookery in schools but can be enlarged if needs be.

NINHAM, Jo

A. What key research refs inspired your final designs and why?
The style of the propaganda posters definitely inspired me generally for this project. Also, Lauren child's way of making the pages come alive inspired my designs.

B. Why are your designs for your cover, spreads and worksheets effective?
My designs are effective as children can relate to the modern design but because of the historical theme they realise what era the information is from.
The information on my designs are clear and easy to read, this means that the reader can understand what is being asked of them.

C. What considerations with materials and / or added features have you used and why are these effective or appropriate?
I considered using pop ups and flip ups but I realised that this was not practical because when the book is used as a pdf this will not be visible.

(Tutor Andy: You may want to add a little more detail here Jo to try to help your client fully understand your outputs/their aims).

O'DOHERTY, Jimi
[Pic here]

Non submission

RICHARDS, Matt

1. My inspiration was the dazzle camouflage, and these books I found at the Hive. They have been attached.

2. Front Cover - It uses a bright colours, bold text, and it's busy; aspects that kids find appealing. It also allows children to personalise, adding there details to the ration book underneath.

Spread Sheet - Breaks information up, makes it easy to understand and navigate. Uses info graphics to make the instructions easy to follow, as children engage with visuals well.

Work Sheet - It allows kids to colour in a ship. Kids love to colour in! and it has an educational aspect to it.

3. The sleeve ads for initial interactivity. Plus kids love personalising their belongings. Helps when books go to school, saves confusion with other students.

No added features as they can take away their concentration from the informative and instructional information which could be dangerous during cooking. In addition it's a Ebook, so added features would not work as a pdf.

SHOKER, Robbie

A) For my final designs i was inspired by researching into what aids childrens learning, from here i noticed that they engage well with characters and i chose to incude a character guide into my final designs

B) Also when researching I found that stories/journeys also help stimulate a childs development, this led me to making my spreads into a "mission" like story that children had to complete, rather than just a recipe cook book.

C) When researching i stumbled across the figures for the amount of tablets owned by children, the number was very high meaning that a QR code was an appropriate option to include. I also felt due to the rise of e-books that the QR code would be effective

YOUNG, Oli

A. My research revolved around a range of children's book designs, specifically illustrated ones that included children in the design. Alongside this I used posters used in WW1 to keep the great war theme that were collected using both primary and secondary data.

B. My designs revolve around an educational and visual theme; that are relevant to children's learning. This alongside a centenary theme and a worksheet that uses kinaesthetic and visual learning that ties in with government key-stage 2 learning curriculum, this makes my design relevant to the genre of the book as well as the theme of it.

C. No added features were included, this made sure the focus of the user was solely on the method and educational elements of the book.

GDES2014 Children's Book Design

Tuesday, 26 May 2015

Gdes2014/3004 Student Designs Showcased & WW1 Recipes Demonstrated - Malvern Food Festival

Monday, 18 May 2015

Gdes2014/3004 Final Student Submissions & Client Lookover