Photographs of the Novel - The Door into Shadow - Live Brief

The book was put into print and is now being sold around the world. Seeing the physical copy gives a whole new feeling the book's design and aesthetic. The cover of the book uses a matte stock and this makes the colour stand out brightly. It also creates a very tactile experience and is soft to touch which complements the classic design well.

The logo I designed in a previous project also works well, it stands out on the spine and the cover of the novel and is recognisbale from a distance. It works nicely against the yellow and will work particularly well when all 6 books are complete, and each uses a different colour. The spine has been designed in a way which will be easy to replicate and will look neat and professional when aligned in a set.

The inside of the book also works well, the lino designs contrast against the cream paper and stand out bold. They are also a good size in comparison to the book and show a nice level of detail without loosing any impact. The pentagrams I designed have also been used as the paragraph divides. I would have perhaps made these smaller but by having them the size they are means that no detail is lost and they feel more like markings which could have directly been drawn onto the page - creating authenticity.

The feeling of having the physical book after having worked on it so long, gives me a strong sense of pride and achievement. Every consideration I made can be seen in the design and improves it's quality. It proves that physical designs can have a completely different effect to ones seen on the screen. I am looking forward to completing the other five books in the series after graduation.

Evaluation - The Door into Shadow - Live Brief

Overall, the design has come out well, it appears intriguing and well considered and indicates the 'dark fantasy' nature of the story. Since the story is traditionally written, the cover reflects this style of the 'classic novel' - and for readers the style of literature immediately becomes apparent. This is shown by the bold, contemporary typeface used and the sectional aspects to the design. The rigid black, white and yellow scheme is also something that indicates it is not your typical YA novel. In some ways the design may look too mature for a teenage audience, however the style of writing is very mature and the specification suggests it should equally attract an adult audience. If the book was to be placed in a teenage section of a bookshop, it would certainly stand out.

Something I had to consider whilst designing, was that the cover template will be used for a further five books within the series. So for each book this outline will need to be used with slight variations in colour and cover image. I have thought about this carefully and made sure there is a specific layout for all the title and blurb information. There are several aspects of the cover that have been designed to indicate there are further books in the series, such as the 'I' and the 'Shadowland Hexology' written throughout. The yellow colour used will also be different for each book in the series, with the black and white background remaining the same. This adds a 'collectable' feeling to the set of books and I will be careful to emphasise this in the additional copies I will be designing in future. The cover image will also be kept consistent by using the same collage invert technique.

The Laptop Cat logo has been well utilised on the cover, spine and back. It has been interesting to see a logo I designed used within context and has taught me a lot about logo design. I was particularly interested in experimenting with ways to include the logo, adding colour behind, placing it so that it stands out but does not clutter the design, etc. The logo suites the style of the cover well and shows a developing brand for the author.

Feedback and Final Design - The Door into Shadow - Live Brief

After a class crit, it was suggested that the simpler blurb of the design worked far better, allowing the main design to be emphasised. It was also suggested that the book's quote should be placed on the bottom half in a section, rather than randomly on the cover. This allows a quote space within the template which can replicated for the next five books in the series. It was also suggested that I could place Laptop Cat logo next to the bar and make the two align. The logo is also aligned with the one on the front cover for consistency. Similarly the roman numeral 'I' has been aligned on the spine and on the cover, making sure the book adopts a rigid, replicable template.

On both the cover and blurb, the title of the book has been written in yellow, allowing it to stand out and bring out the other shades of yellow on the spread. These hints of colour will be used throughout the book series, to make a point of difference between each novel - similar to the YA Gone series.

The hierarchy of text on the cover creates a good order for the information, with a clear format. The organisation on the blurb also shows careful consideration, with several pieces of information slotting together nicely due to edits in size, shape and placement. This means that even though the blurb is quite extensive, it does not appear crowded and is still legible.

The image itself is striking and bold, it has been created using the rule of thirds - with the top third making the sky, creating an interesting balance. The arch in the focal point of the design and the almost draws the reader in - inviting them through the arch. From feedback it was also suggested that the yellow pencil effect works well and is an unusual addition to the design. It hints at the classic nature of the story, written in traditional fantasy way without any attempt to be overly relatable or 'millennial'. There is a natural flow from the title text, through the design and then to the quote below - meaning that the viewer is not bombarded by information.

Further Blurb Experiments - The Door into Shadow - Live Brief

I decided to begin experimenting with some new blurb designs. I realised that the blurb need to be simple in order to really emphasise the cover design. I briefly looked at Penguin classic blurbs, such as the one seen below for Nineteen eighty-four. This design is incredibly simple, aligned on the right and really allows the text to speak for itself. I also found it interesting that they are able to include the book's name without any possibility of it being mistaken as the front cover. This is because the design is so simple, it can immediately be identified as a blurb.

I decided to replicate this approach, experimenting with how the blurb would look written on the right hand side of the page, with the 'Shadowland Hexology' written on the right, with the series statement underneath.

These worked quite well but I wanted to include the upper segment which had been used on the front cover. This was carried along to the back with a white bar to keep it consistent. This meant there was a specific section where the Laptop Cat logo could rest, which could be adopted in further Laptop Cat books. The title of the novel was then coloured in yellow to differentiate it from the other pieces of text - adding to the hierarchy of information. The collaged eyes were trialed in this section too, to fill the space but crowd the design. However these appeared childish and were described as 'too Scooby-Doo'.

So I began creating a smaller set of apostles, made digitally with the yellow pencil texture seen on the front cover. This balances the design with the front cover and means it creates a focal point for the viewer. 'The Door into Shadow' was then experimented with on the left of the blurb, this worked quite well, although it was difficult to balance the text. The title was too large when trying to even out the text underneath in a way that made sense. I tried several alignments and then changed the design so the title fitted over the blurb.

This worked a little better, although the text was still not quite the right size - leaving 'The' resting uncomfortably at the top. Eventually it was shrunk to match the width of the text. The additional text was then experimented with, allowing 'The Shadowland Hexology' to have importance. The stone circle was also made larger as per the author's request and the text was raised so there was less of a gap underneath the white line.

Initial Blurb Experiments - The Door into Shadow - Live Brief

For the blurb I began creating sketches of the an image or illustration could be incorporated with the text.

I thought I would create a similar collaged design, with the blurb of the piece placed inside the stone circle. I created several different variations of these, some with shading and some with further detailed weeds and plants around the apostles. These were made using an inked pattern which was then used as a texture to cut the shapes from. In order to create the stone shapes I used stone circles seen throughout history as reference - in particular Stonehenge and the 12 Apostles found on Ilkley Moor

Once inverted the image had a more sinister and eerie effect, which matched the themes of the book perfectly. However, although the same techniques have been used - the details vary slightly from the cover and therefore create two conflicting styles. I continued to experiment with the design to see how it might work with the cover with some editing.

The blurb was added to the center of the piece but did not quite fit the allotted space. Some of the text was running onto the apostles and obscured by the smaller cracked details. This didn't quite work, even with some editing of the text box shape and with the text shrank to a smaller size - the information had to be prioritised and would not be legible if made too small.

I then experimented with adding a bar at the top of the design that would follow along with the bar on the front cover. This still felt out of place on the design and prioritising the information was difficult, I did not want to replicate the cover text but I also wanted the blurb to have some organised information. By having 'The Shadowland Hexology' centered just didn't work and again seemed too different to the decided layout of the cover.

It was suggested that imagery was so strong it could be used as the cover instead, creating a strong circle for the text to stand inside. But using this would mean disregarding the previous layouts which offer a more classic and considered aesthetic. This illustration also may have other more mystical connotations which doesn't link to the book's genre so well.

Type Experiments - The Door into Shadow - Live Brief

After speaking to the client, he preferred the initial set of designs, involving the bar at the top of the designs - this was bold and made the image stand out best. He also suggested the addition of the eye collage pieces was too childish in relation to the tone of the book. He was keen to have the publishing company 'Laptop Cat Books' logo placed on the cover and favoured it most in the bottom right hand corner.

At this point, I began experimenting with type and how this could be rearranged within the top section of the book cover. I was particularly considering how the quote 'How far will you go to save the ghost of your brother' would fit within the design. I struggled to place it, as within each experiment it seemed to appear misplaced.

I also experimented with having the authors name in yellow, which I thought could be something carried across each variation of the books within the series, expect with a different colour used. This added a little extra detail, enriching the cover's design.

I also experimented with having the quote at the bottom of the design in its own section, this did work better but I was unsure about blocking the triangular yellow beam, as it then seemed to appear 'cut-off' rather than free-flowing.

Finally, I then began experimenting with finer details. Since the book is to be written in a series of six, the author suggested that 'The Shadowland Hexology' could be written underneath the main title. I also experimented with having this written along the right had side horizontal, yet this looked out of place. Then I considered it would be interesting and fitting to have the number of the book in the series written on the right, in roman numerals. Of course this being the first book, it is just one dash; but I have made sure it is aligned with the Laptop Cat logo underneath. This again alludes to the classic nature of the novel.

After some more edits, a spine design was also experimented with. The Laptop Cat logo was place on a yellow background and the authors name was written in the same colour - this again would be something that would change colour for each book so that when placed on a shelf together, they remain consistent with the others in the series - but with a slight alteration and point of difference.