First Story Ideas

In response to a live brief to design children's book covers, I have illustrated my ideas for two of the four available topics. The following will present my designs and the ideas behind them for the 'FIRST STORY' school poetry brief.


FIRST STORY - My Voice is a Shy Tiger

My idea for 'My Voice is a Shy Tiger' consists of two characters (a child and a tiger) made out of blocks. Because both are created from the same shapes, it represents that the tiger is a part of the child (their voice). While the child has simple features which make them easier to connect with the reader, the tiger has a detailed yet innocent face. I have chosen to make the child gender-ambiguous, so that any child could project themselves onto them and relate to their experiences. They were purposefully designed without a mouth - showing that they have literally lost their voice. For the covers themselves, I showed the tiger walking away from the child on the front cover, with the child and tiger reunited on the back cover. I used bright colours to design my characters, so that they would stand out against the darker blue of the covers. On both covers, I have provided spaces for a scratchy, black title and the blurb.


FIRST STORY - Journeys

My idea for 'Journeys' involves a child writing, and those stories representing journeys through her imagination - to the past, future, and other places. The girl's imagination takes up the top half of the front cover's design - signifying the importance of these journeys (shown like a branching path). The back cover shows the girl's stories after she has finished writing. My intention was to use a lot of white and orange, as they bring a warmth and purity to the composition. The imagined journeys were designed with bright colours as to make sure they don't overpower the path connecting them to the child. On both covers, I have again provided spaces for a title and blurb.

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