Design for Print: Around The World In 80 Pages - Cover Art

Cover Design

After the initial compositions had been developed, with organising all the files and editing down, the name could be decided on with a better idea for the publication's content. Both designers were attracted to the proposition 'Around The World In 80 Pages' and agreed that this could be a successful way to limit the content to something more manageable, making the design more focused and considered - by selecting only the best compositions. 

The designers discussed what kind of graphic design approaches could be used to set the tone of this book. Inspired by the collage material, the intricate designs of the beer labels from the various bars visited, as well as the old decorative signage experienced, the collaborators decided to take on constructing a unique decorative calligraphy-orientated cover art piece to visually replicate the atmosphere of the books content. Additionally, due to the focus of the publication highlighting the variety of type experienced and its differing purposes, this sort of typography poster / flourishes was an energetic fun solution to representing this diversity. 

Initial inspiration from imagery recorded in New Orleans and Austin 

Secondary inspiration from further research

Application

Accordingly the collaboration progressed with the development of the cover art, with designer one sketching out the composition, and designer two digitalising and adding the addition flairs and finishes.

The design used Illustrator and Photoshop for this production, due to the ability to work easily with layers on these softwares. 

Colour Variation Experimentations

Overlay edit for poster version

The design also played around with old style textures and ways of presenting this cover art for future distribution / poster designs and so on. This was to show the designs context and relate it to the original idea of its place in Australia's out back and America's Wild West.

Textures experiment for context of aesthetic and possible future distributions

Final composition for use.
The design decided to use the digitalised cleaner version to best compliment the publications contents and go for a more minimal production aesthetic that is more neutral to an audience. 

Progression

Idea development:

After reassessing all that we have we decided to keep the cover minimal and clean. We want the publication to be presented as a piece of considered design, and the process of opening and unfolding to engage and surprise the viewer. The inside / content is messy to reflect the design process, engaging in the structural and visual ways designers see the world, whereas the casing will reflect the condensing of ideas into a usable and greater functioning production - that considers layout, target audience, market place, USP, UX, colour, type - in all the ways graphic design should. 

Loose elements that fall out create motion, as if the publication is alive. The original idea for the cover design to incorporate a more illustrative calligraphy styled piece was reconsidered as once everything came together it was evident that it wouldn't attract the right audience. Designers do judge a book by their cover, and this gave off a certain visual language that didn't communicate the contents fully. We did however feel that this piece is relevant and adds a depth to the work, giving it originality and a contextual flair. Bars, old type, textures and collage, is the theme of the content and the events surrounding the publication.

We decided for the casing of the final publications, that this design would work better printed inside rather than on a cover. Instead, the cover should be kept minimal, and everything is given away once the process of opening it is over - similar to a design project. The output is minimal, condensed and considered, whereas the process is experimental, visionary and full.