4.1 - Double Page Spreads Research 02
Following on from my previously explored design approaches, the following double page spreads incorporate illustrations and graphics into the design.
01.
The above double-page spread is of great appeal to me as I am a big fan of the use of colour and proportion/scale of the illustration. The illustration which is of what looks like moths bleed well from the right to left. The similarity in angles with the moth's wings and paragraph's indents line up well making for a successful relationship between the two. However what initially drew me to this piece, is the strong and yet toned down use of colours. They are soft and comforting, which I feel works well with the general idea of the spread which follows the narrative of a girl exploring her garden and seeing this beautiful array of life and colour. This narrative is brought through well in also regards to the young girl's face. The loose and hand-drawn style embodies that young and playful approach present in the story.
Finally, I am a big fan of the use of a strong illustration/artwork in combination with a serif font. The idea to use a serif font like in this example is not only proven to enhance reading ability, but also I believe helps make the design 'more mature'. What I mean by this, is that it contrast well with what may commonly be perceived as a childish drawing. The use of minimal text is also of appreciation, as it helps create a great visual of negative and positive space.
02.
This second double page spread follows a much more clean-lined approach in terms of the illustrations used. Using the linear shapes of the burger, drink, and tomato sauce shapes, the designer has successfully placed text in the gaps filled by what would normally be inside these objects. Doing this allows for the text to be segmented into columns which for the reader makes it easier to process.
In regards to the detail of the illustrations, I like the symmetrical shape of the objects and these use of just a singular colour to the fill of an element e.g. orange for the burger bun. This technique allows the illustrations to sit flat on the paper, somewhat making it easier, in my opinion, to travel from the illustration to the text and vise versa.
03.
This third spread is a lot more visually engaging than the previous I believe. This is because despite only using three/four colours, the designer has enthusiastically used a dark pink in the background as a pattern to help contrast the female figures. This pattern uses triangles and diagonal lines, meaning that there is a contrast with the linear look of the text in both the title and body.
Looking at visual flow, this spread works very well, as I was initially drawn to the artwork and then onto the title to the left of it. This title then follows vertically down to the body text which finally leads the eye back over to the right and to the artwork. This final leading of eye is a very successful part of this spread, as it sees the previously mentioned pink, triangular pattern, disperse and bleed over the body text, all the while being in relation to the original artwork.
The artwork itself is very well done in my opinion as it incorporates a realistic style with a cartoon and fantasized one. The use of shading through a darker toned fill around areas of the female body help create depth and this sense of realism, however, it has not been overdone whereby it has attempted to look too real and never fully resembled the real-life reference, or the opposite and whereby the illustration is too minimal and basic. However, the overall clean-lined approach helps portray this cartoony feel and a rather explicit idea.
