Children’s Book Brief

So the new brief is to create a children’s book and to do this, I wanted to get a range of research of how authors create books and also what Children enjoy reading and whats important in the design of the book. 

I started by looking at the website, The Book Trust as I thought this would be a good place to start and research the most successful children’s books and why they are unique and creative. 

They created a list of the 100 best Children’s books and I looked at what was creative about the design and a few books I recognised. 

http://www.booktrust.org.uk/news-and-blogs/news/222/

“We want to celebrate Children’s Book Week by starting a discussion about the very best books for children.  We know there will be some debate around the list, and we welcome it! Has your favorite childhood read been left out? Would your child whole-heartedly agree with us, or be dismayed by an oversight? We’ve tried to include stories for everyone – whether it’s an old picture book, a classic adventure story, or a modern tale tackling contemporary issues – the emphasis for us is on wonderful, wacky, and world-changing narratives.”

The phrase ‘Wonderful, wacky, and world-changing narratives’ is a key quote to start when looking at what I am going to create for the children’s book with both the characters and the narrative. 

Here are a few on the list that I will take inspiration from – 

I Want My Hat Back by John Klassen – 

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What I like about this book is the very quirky and creative narrative and the simple, but effective design of the characters. This video is useful in seeing and visualising how the story is read aloud. 

The graphics of the bear are nicely coloured and the colours are simple, with emphasis on the red hat, which is the main feature of the book. 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

veryhungrycaterpillar

 

I love the bright and colourful imagery in this book which works with the plain white background of the front cover and the story. The images are engaging for the children and the textures and colour is thoughtfully placed on the page. 

I would like to create a similar style of book and think that this is a good inspiration to start with. 

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt  by Michael Rosen 

we-re-going-bear-hunt

The bright imagery in this book and the fun drawings work to create the story in this book and the narrative is very good for reading allowed and has a musical style to it which is nice for a children’s book. I like the way the illustrations are colourful but the background is plain in order for it to be fun and playful. 

Not Now, Bernard by David Mckee

not-now-bernard

 

I like this design of the book as the design and the drawings are funny for the children and the adults. The colourful images and backgrounds are bold and fun and the narrative works with this. 

I like the bold images in these books and they are interesting and funny narratives which work with the images. 

 

Final Logo and Website

This is my final design for the Identity and Branding logo and I am pleased with the look of the brand and the style it creates for the target audience. The colours are subtle and sleek but still reflect the traditional French barber design along with the modern flare with the digitally enhanced scissors and the dotted outline. 

The target audience being the professional male, I wanted there to be a hint of elegance and tradition to the logo which is reflected in the simple colours and the Old Standard typeface.  LBM draft 2

 

Branding Identity MockUp Vol8

 

It works as a branded identity and I think that this is successful as a brand for the upmarket barbers which are aiming to sell their products oversees as the logo is subtle in the way it promotes the French culture but also the modern barber style of the design. 

Website 1

 

Website page 2

The website is in keeping with the style and design of the brand and also promotes the products in a traditional way with the rustic but also sleek look of the brand and the barbers. The Website is modern and the large images and text being in keeping with the logo, are all promoting the business in a way which attracts the audience with the professional look to the products and the brand. 

The image on the front is to promote that they also are showing their beard grooming services and like many other modern barber websites, the image is the main feature of the page. 

I am pleased with how the branding looks and I think that the design is simple, but professional. I also think that the products and the website promote the french culture of the business in a subtle way with the use of the colour. The type is effective in the logo and shows the traditional aspects of the brand. 

Website Page 2

For the products page, I looked at a few website pages for inspiration and ideas about how to create the one for Les Barbe Magnifique. 

Truefitt & Hill –

I looked at this up market brand of barbers and products to get an idea about the style in which products are displayed and shown to the audience. 

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This shows the products and the information which needs to be shown to the audience. I like the way this is presented as it is clear and simple as to what they are and how much they are. 

I wanted to create this page with a more rustic type of design which would appeal to a large market and customer. 

Website page 2

I like this rustic design of the product page of the website and the style of this which is attracting the younger audience but also attracts the mass audience of the product.

Website Home Page

I edited the website with more images and font and the colour is subtle but is apparent with the logo and the brand. 

Website 1

 

I think that this home page of the website works well for the brand and shows the target audience about the products and services which are available. I like the opacity of the image and the shapes and therefore, the colours of the products and the colour in the logo are bold with the logo and the bright colours. 

Like the modern barber websites, the image is the central image and the circles which are used are a theme which is familiar with the logo and the products. 

I like this website design and think that this represents the brand and the products for the target audience. The website is modern and dynamic and the opacity of the images is sleek, along with the simple line design of the menu and the words. 

I think that this website is suitable for the brand and shows the business which reflects the products and services of the brand.