The Establishment Initial Designs - Penguin Books - Competition Brief

I began the initial designs for the work thinking about how ballot papers look and how I could replicate this idea in a more stylised format.

I decided to incorporate the boxes to be ticked but make the cross in red, allowing that particular line to stand out against the others. I also was considering if 'And how they get away with it' should be included within the ballot paper or not. I struggled with this, as within the paper it elongates the paper, yet whilst it is outside it seems separate to the title and could even be confused as the title. The blue was chosen since Owen Jones is notoriously liberal, so the deep blue can be seen as likening The Establishment to the conservative party. Giving the ballot paper a frame on the page felt a lot more effective that filling to the edges as seen in the first design. This was primarily so the design could not be confused as a Penguin classic.

The introduction of the pen was to add some context to the ballot paper, as it seen cast to the side the design almost feels more natural. It also indicates perhaps a careless and unconsidered move after voting, as the experience itself didn't require much consideration.

I then began experimenting with how the second line and the authors name would look in a more hand written type, to show Owen Jones' own spin on the situation. However, this didn't quite work either, it clashed with the format of the design and often hand written typefaces can feel a little false. If I was to pursue this I would considering writing the text by hand for better authenticity.