MOUNTED DESIGNS

My designs are now mounted and ready for submission! I chose to mount them very simply on black board with no borders, and orientated portrait to make use of the available space. I added labels as a title on one board and with my name on both, and used hand-lettering again to reinforce the style and show the continuity. I feel that the designs are presented well, although I am less happy with the designs themselves.

From the moment I began looking into the 'around the world' story I drew out the landscape for Peru which led the rest of the book, as I was happy with how it looked and I received encouragement for the style. This presented problems with the rest of the designs as they had to follow suit, as did the method of colouring, and I never really settled on a design I felt 100% comfortable with. I am a little disappointed for this reason and wonder if I had chosen one of the other possible briefs if I would have found a solution that I liked more,  as this is an industry that I hope to work in. Overall though, this has been a good opportunity to go through the process of book design and develop a story and book that I wouldn't ordinarily have followed, and a good experience in expanding my style. Coupled with my choice of Independent Study, this has also led to a design passion of mine for hand-drawn lettering and illustration and something that I will definitely take into the future.

FINAL DESIGNS

Here are the final designs for the children's book for Naturesbase.

The cover continues the background illustration from the introductory page for Peru which I think makes a nice backing. I struggled with the cover more so than the inside pages - my initial designs on a similar story I didn't like due to the inclusion of illustrations of children which I feel isn't a strong point of mine and the previous one used a worn map effect as background but it was thought that this would appeal to an older age group than I was aiming for.

I am still not entirely happy with this design but I feel I have recreated the illustrative style of Herge's Tintin quite well. The title and back cover blurb are designed on a worn, aged paper style which is also continued within, and I have opted for hand-lettering. This use of hand-drawn type was the subject of my Independent Study and while initially I had wanted a change and to use Photoshop for the illustration with computer fonts, when encouraged to create the book by hand I decided on hand-drawn type. This suits the theme of this book, which I will expand upon when discussing the inside pages.

These pages would function as the start of the book. The left side introduces the book, encouraging the child to explore the world, and below this are instructions to create your own paper plane. In between the pages here is a tear out sheet with which to create the paper plane, and the right hand side says how to customise the plane and begins the tale in a humorous way. The pages use the same aged paper effect, which I hope gives the feel of an old explorer's map. The palette in the 'customise' section is created with colours found in the garden, something I was inspired to add after Gyles Morris' visit.

The explorer's map style is continued all the way through, here on the introductory page for Peru where describing briefly some of the features of that country. I kept the explanations brief and light to stay in keeping with the age group and focused on what I would have found interesting as a child. The use of hand-lettering within was designed to stay in keeping with the philosophy of the book, encouraging the reader to create things by hand and so I wanted to keep that obvious human touch prevalent in the book and not try to diminish that, rather celebrate it. This was a philosophy I took from extensive research into the subject in my Independent Study.

Although I have changed the story slightly from the notes from Gyles Morris. I hope I have done so in a way as to improve the book and its interactivity. I found the hot air balloon part of the story was too detached from the interactive side, and hand-made paper planes are in keeping with my idea here.

DESIGN UPDATE

At the peer assessment I was encouraged to introduce more of a hand-drawn edge to the illustrations, which I agree would add more character. I was enjoying using Photoshop for the illustrations as that is a new style for me, but completing my Independent Study on typography in picture books has given me a passion for hand-lettering and hand-created illustration. For these reasons I have remade the idea by hand.

I tried to recreate the image by hand as well as possible, while adding a rough and imperfect style to the lined  illustrations and finishing with a watercolour wash. This effect worked better than I thought it would and the uneven, mottled affect works well on the green areas and not too badly on the sky where it gives the impression of clouds.

In the top-left hand corner of the page I have recreated the banner on an old paper effect, titling the page 'Peru', while underneath is an old, worn, explorer's map showing more of the location. One of the pointers from the group session was that on the computer this style seemed to be aimed at an older age range than the genre of the picture book suggests but hand-drawn I think it is more suitable.

One major change to the story and the notes supplied by Gyles Morris is that it is no longer a balloon ride around the world but a paper plane instead. I feel this could add an interactive element to the book, where the child could play along and make their own paper plane which I will play around with earlier in the book.

The basic layout is the same and a similar style of worn paper will be used to explain the elements of the Peruvian country to continue the theme of exploration throughout. In the bottom corner is an introduction to the next pages of the book, which uses more colours than the explorers map style, where the reader can learn to make their own Peruvian headdress. I feel this would separate the activities from the information and make the book clearer to the child.

These designs are possibles for the new cover to follow with the different story. The title has to change, and I think it will be 'Paper Plane Explorer' which explains clearly the style of the book, but another option is 'Chocks Away' which is a famous aviation expression. I will continue the worn paper style here too but only as an addition to the main style as it may make the book look more grown up and appeal to the wrong age group.

The typography, and use of hand-lettering, will hopefully reinforce the idea that the story is for younger children as it tends to be used mostly in children's picture books for children around the age of 6.

This is a design for the other spread. Initially I was planning to illustrate the page following the layout for Peru, and show the reader how to create a headdress and make an Andean pattern. However, I think it would be more appropriate to design the first spread from the book, encouraging the reader to make a paper plane and introduce the story, while providing an extra sheet of paper to be used on the paper plane.

PEER ASSESSMENT

Cover design

Cover design

This week was the peer assessment for this module, and a chance to share ideas and explain your work to your peers and gain valuable feedback. The work that I presented is shown above, unfortunately unfinished pieces of work which isn't ideal, but due to the time it has taken to create them and time commitments with other projects this is where I am at with this task.

The feedback was generally positive, although the team seemed keen that I went with the same approach, just hand-drawn. I can see their point, and love to create work by hand, especially illustration, and so I think I will try again by hand. I will keep the same linear style however, and keep the Tintin books as an inspiration. I think that the group found that the computer aided style that I had utilised wasn't best suited to the age group and genre that I am aiming for, and instead thought it would appeal to older children. I definitely take this on board, and it was something I should have considered more, and I will need to look at how similar titles aim their information at a younger audience.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

I was unsure about using watercolour for this design as I'm not sure that the uneven tone always suits the illustration, and I wanted to gain more experience with using Photoshop for illustration work. I recently found an illustrator called Chris Lee, thebeastisback.com, whose work I admire and he shared a video of his process on his Instagram account which inspired me to use this style myself.

www.vimeo.com/64215263

Having previously seen his work I was amazed at what he had done, but watching the video made me realise that I could attempt the same style as his work started as a line sketch, something that I feel that I can do well, and was added to layer on layer on Photoshop. 

He scans the sketch to Photoshop and drops the opacity before working on it with a selection of brushes in different layers. With his choice of brushes, he is able to give the work an old-style cartoon quality that I find reminds me of Hanna-Barbera. I set about working on the sketch that I had scanned in to see if this would be a viable means of designing for this brief.

Here is work ongoing on one spread. I was concerned that the image would look too computerised and the colours would appear too flat, but I was able to select brushes that gave the appearance of being created my hand and so it retains some of that quality. It also allows the image to be more editable due to layering, and as such I can move characters like the llama around until I am happy with their placement. While creating the background I realised that it was beginning to resemble a scene from Tintin by Herge.

I loved the Tintin comics when I was younger, and so I feel that the similarity to this style is not a bad thing as I feel that they are the ultimate in kids' adventure stories. This is the style that I will be persevering with throughout the project as I feel it has given me an opportunity to try something new and I am excited to see how it will end up looking.

This is a new design for the front cover, giving it more of an adventure edge than a picture book style, which I think would be more exciting for the target age group. The background of the image would resemble that of an old map with an aged paper effect and an old compass. I am not sure whether to use hand-drawn typography which I enjoy doing or a more vintage and traditional type style. The balloon will be brightly coloured, and a blurb on the back cover will be set on a paler box.

PROTOTYPES

I decided when creating the first prototypes to stick quite closely to the final submission criteria of a cover and two inside spreads, in order to provide a good realisation of the finished work. This has also shaped how I will be creating the book as I have decided that each country will have a spread showing information about it, and a spread with activities. For now I am carrying on with the designs for Peru, as it is a country I am interested in and so I feel that I should be able to convey more interest and enthusiasm this way. I began with the front cover.

I painted this in watercolour and then lined it with ink, but I am unsure about it. I like the balloon itself, and especially the typography. However, I do not like drawing people and I feel that they detract from the illustration, and the kite and journey stick do not add much either. I'm also unsure whether I like the effect of the sky and so the cover will need a lot of work to be done. I'm currently toying with the idea of the balloon flying over an old looking map which I think could be a nice effect. The title as it stands is 'Up, Up & Away' which I think will remain at this prototype stage as I haven't thought of anything more appropriate but again that is subject to change.

This is the informative atlas-style page which I am very happy with at the moment although there are areas that I am looking to improve. I think that this landscape style allows me to include a lot of features in a small space, and the explanation boxes could be fold out to provide more room. I like the balloon in the background which would provide continuity, and the style of this page could easily be adapted for other countries. As I said in the last post, I am unsure of how to apply colour, whether to try Photoshop or stick to watercolours, but I scanned this page so I can work on it in both ways and decide which style is the most appropriate.

I love drawing animals and so I had a little think of some of the most famous animals from these countries to include, and whether they could be used as guides in the activity pages.

This is a page where the child is encouraged to paint a traditional Andean pattern. I thought it would be a nice touch to include a section challenging the reader to find paint in the garden, for instance mud for brown and grass for green. This is something that Gyles Morris had us do on his visit and I think it would work well within this book. It also encourages the reader to get outside and get the book messy which would be nice.

This page was specified by Gyles, instructing the reader on how to make a traditional Peruvian headdress, which I also think should be made using materials from the garden. This page needs a lot of work to remain interesting, and maybe it should have its own spread with the Andean patterns as a border. I think I will have to include infographics and research how to actually construct one, and this could also be a point in which to include an interactive web element. However, I want this book to persuade kids away from the computer screen so perhaps not. In the bottom corner is the llama guide, which I think would be a nice touch.

FURTHER RESEARCH

At this stage I felt that it was important to research further into the world of picture books and those with environmental concerns at heart. I want my book to combine a few genres in one, to provide the information of a reference title, activities that encourage children outdoors and get messy, and the art style of a picture book. As I want to work in the area of picture books after university, as an author/illustrator or a book designer, I felt it wise to play to my strengths and choose the picture book project, and gain experience along the way.

I feel that this will also help to structure the book, and fit in with the story about a balloon ride around the world. For each different country I could perhaps use two double page spreads, the first showing the landscape and some information about it, and the second include activities for the child, and between the specific country pages there could be picture book style illustrative segways.

ATLAS/REFERENCE BOOK

When I was younger, one of my favourite books was a pop-up atlas, which gave information about certain countries and their languages, clothing and food etc. and I would hope to recreate some elements of that for the final work. Here I will look at some examples of reference style atlases:

My Pop-Up World Atlas - Anita Ganeri and Stephen Waterhouse

I really like this style for a child's atlas, and the front cover is extremely enticing with a variety of bright colours and interesting textures by the illustrator Stephen Waterhouse, with further images here: http://www.stephenwaterhouse.com/portfolio/childrens-books/my-pop-up-world-atlas/

The interior pages show the brilliant use of space within the atlas, with pop-ups and pull tabs revealing the information, which is also useful for trivia and facts. Every page contains a large map of the continent, and so the addition of paper engineering allows more information to be included. I think these elements and particularly the 'lift-the-flap' sections would be very useful when it comes to my design.

Usborne Children's Picture Atlas - Linda Edwards

This book uses a similar style in terms of the volume of illustration which gives the child a lot of interesting characters and colours to look at, but this time using a flat image. The title explains that it is more pictorial than informative, and so the illustrations are given priority.

I like the art style in this one, with Linda Edwards (http://www.lindaedwards.co.uk/) using a more painterly style befitting that of a picture book. I like the way the illustrations take centre stage but I want my book to have some informative elements so that children can come back to it for reference.

DK Children's World Atlas

Dorling Kindersley reference titles are well respected and known to be accurate, and I recall using them for information when I was younger. Looking at the cover here, it doesn't seemed to be aimed at especially young children, but it was always engaging. Photography is used a lot within, as well as photo-realistic illustrations and diagrams, and so is not an art style that I will choose to recreate when I create my own.

This title also includes a CD-ROM for interactive content which obviously is quite outdated now, but additional web content could be a bonus element in the book. This could maybe be useful in the sections where the child has to make something.

Activity Books
For activity books, I still look at the examples I noted down here for inspiration. The DK Doodlepedia book is probably the best that I have seen, and I would have loved that book when I was younger and probably still would now. Allowing space for the child to contribute to the book is a good element to include, and I will definitely incorporate that in some form. I would also add elements from the '100 Things to Make and Do' book and 'This Book is Totally Rubbish' as I want the children to have activities for them to make outside of the book, as well as learning about environmental concerns and sustainability.

PICTURE BOOKS - ART STYLES
For my usual illustration work I use watercolours, but I feel that they can become quite washed out sometimes so I will look at other ways to do this. One style that I have thought of trying recently is line drawings finished on Photoshop, from which I have found a few interesting examples.

Steve Simpson http://stevesimpson.com/ and Christopher Lee http://www.thebeastisback.com/
Steve Simpson is an illustrator and designer who specialises in computer-aided illustrations, and Christopher Lee is an illustrator who creates prints often influenced by toys and pop culture.

Their styles have similarities to me, and both inspire me to use this method myself, as I sometimes get frustrated when adding colour to my work, as I feel that my line work and drawing is quite strong and there is maybe more control when rendering on Photoshop, and definitely more chances to get it right. I will begin with line drawings so that I can experiment with the colours at a later date, though I think that I could also get a good result with watercolour or acrylic paint within strong lines.

LONDON BOOK FAIR

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend the London Book Fair on Monday 15th April, in order to gain experience of the range of publishers in not just this country but worldwide, and conduct research on the current trends in book design. While there, I was set the task of looking for innovations in children's book design.

Toolbox - Pretend & Play
I felt that this was an interesting idea when designing such a book for a young age group, to make the book the shape of the subject matter, in this case a toolbox. I feel this is particularly effective as a toddler wouldn't necessarily understand the notion of a toolbox without seeing the shape, and this allows the child to act as if they are an adult with a real one, and copy whoever they have seen using one. As well as the toolbox shape, the middle pages pop up as a birdhouse.

My Dinosaurs Sticker Activity Book - Picthall & Gunzi
This book reminds me of books that I enjoyed when I was younger, that use stickers to reinforce the message and allow you to finish the illustrations yourself. However, once the book has been read once, it is never as fun and creative again as the main activity has been completed.

Hello, I'm... - AZ Books
This book series by publishing house AZ Books features cuddly toy animals that peer through the hole in the cover of the book. I think this is an interesting idea and would appeal especially to young girls who enjoy collecting stuffed toys, as well as babies as it provides something touchable in the book with an interesting texture.

Cedic
I found some interesting examples of innovation at the stand for Cedic, a French language publisher, for example books that feature a watercolour paint palette on the side and a paintbrush, allowing the reader to finish illustrating the story themselves. This is the sort of book that I would have really enjoyed growing up, one that actually let you paint on it! I feel that this is definitely the sort of twist that I will be looking to include in my work for Naturesbase.

Frog and Me - Angela Muss - Child's Play
Look at Me, I'm a Clown! - Sebastien Brown - Child's Play
Child's Play is a publisher that I am aware of due to my Independent Study, and I decided to look them up at the fair as I know that they publish books with hand-drawn type which is a modern innovation in itself. I found a few fantastic examples of book design, including the two above. The first is called 'Frog and Me', and features a sock puppet that the parent can use to tell the story to the young reader in a fun and interesting way. The second book opens out into a mask, with different face designs on every page. I feel that this book would be most enjoyed in a group scenario as the child holding the book up to their face does not get the same experience as those watching, and vice versa. I therefore think this would be a great book for sharing, or reading in a nursery or school setting.

Colours - North Parade Publishing
However, the innovation that most caught my eye at the book fair was this series from NPP, which features waterproof books that can be read at the beach or in the bath without damage. I think that this is a fantastic idea, as one of the main limitations of traditional books is their vulnerability to the elements, and also allows the child to continue to learn while in the bath and make having a bath enjoyable. As well as being waterproof, the inflatable base allows the book to float, making it the perfect bath-time accompaniment.

In terms of the Naturesbase brief, this was a fantastic experience to see how publishers are thinking outside of the box and some of the answers that they have come up with. I love the inflatable book but I do not feel that it's a relevant approach to take in my project, but I will definitely take on board some of the elements of the books where the reader is able to finish them, whether that is with paints or stickers. Due to Naturesbase being all about encouraging children into nature and promoting sustainability I think that finishing the illustrations with materials from the garden would be a good direction to take, as well as making their own paints from leaves, mud and berries.

IDEAS

I decided to expand on my ideas and the notes from Gyles Morris to gain a higher understanding of the topics of the book, based on my sketch of a possible page layout. For the spread that I drew out for the page about Peru, I had some little information sections which focused on several areas of interest of the country, which I have here sought to apply to the other countries in the project. These are landmarks, animals, colours and cultures.

I have also thought about potential titles for the book. As this project clearly draws from the story 'Around the World in 80 Days', I thought about substituting in the name of the organisation to make 'Around the World With Naturesbase', but I am unsure about this. Another potential title is 'Up, Up and Away' which I feel is better suited to a picture book, and perhaps draws on the success of the film 'Up'. There is not a title set in stone as yet, so these are subject to change.

In terms of the subject matter included for each country, the following points are included:

INDIA
Landmarks: Taj Mahal, River Ganges
Animals: tiger, elephant
Colours: pastel - paint festival
Culture: spices, religions - Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism

CHINA
Landmarks: Great Wall of China, Tianaman Square, Tibet
Animals: panda
Colours: red, gold
Culture: Buddhism, dragons

PERU
Landmarks: Macchu Pichu
Animals: llama
Colours: Andean patterns
Culture: Inca, pan pipes

AUSTRALIA
Landmarks: Ayers Rock, Sydney Opera House
Animals: kangaroo, koala, platypus, emu
Colours: earthy
Culture: Aboriginal, boomerang

NORWAY
Landmarks: Fjords, pine trees
Animals: seal, fish, elk
Colours: blue (sea), white (snow)
Culture

UK
Landmarks: Big Ben, white cliffs of Dover
Animals: cow, fox, badger
Colours: green
Culture

These points were just off the top of my head, and with further research I will be able to add far more. I think I will focus just on one country to display with my prototypes, showing an information page and a creative task that the reader can complete. For now I think I will create the pages for Peru as I personally find that culture very interesting and feel that I can create something interesting for that topic.

GYLES MORRIS TALK

During this week's lecture we received a visit from Gyles Morris, the man behind Naturesbase, to give us further information about the task and explain a little more about himself and his project. He started by talking about his background and how he came to work on outdoor childrens' projects, from designing school grounds and making them more inspiring and places to want to learn.

His policy for teaching children is that play should be less sanitised, and that there should be no yes or no, just encouragement. He feels that society doesn't allow free play due to fears such as stranger danger, which has led to nature deficit disorder, and the fact that more children can recognise a dalek than an owl.

Exposing children to stimulating outdoor experiences at a young age allows development of cognitive skills, better concentration, better communication, improved listening, development of accessing risk, self confidence and self esteem, teamwork, motivation, pride and understanding the environment.

Gyles then asked us a few questions to quiz us on how well we understand our environment, such as where our food actually comes from and the shape of the moon the previous night. It showed how out of touch we can be with features of the environment which we should never lose contact with.

He also took us out into the grounds where he showcased some of the activities that he leads with children, such as using natural materials for colours and creating pictures from grass and sticks. It was very enjoyable and made me more excited about the project, and I agreed with a lot of what he was saying. I have begun to have more concrete ideas of what I would like to create for the brief, and I am definitely gravitating towards the picture book.

INITIAL CONCEPTS

Following initial research, I formulated the idea of a tongue-in-cheek 'survival guide' for adventurous kids who think they are the next Bear Grylls. Following the client notes, I found that this idea could work as a version of 'the Great Naturesbase Detective', and thought of bringing in an added investigative element. It was also the same age group that I planned to target, the 7 to 11 years age bracket.

I have designed a couple of possible front covers, with both mainly typographical. The one on the far left was created on Illustrator, while the other uses hand created typography that resembles intertwining branches, and influenced by illustrators such as Steve Simpson. I would progress this design by creating a full page typographic illustration, that also weaves in the word Naturesbase and any other necessary information. I will also need to consider the colour scheme - here I chose dark green and gold for an old-fashioned style book cover. I see this book being A4 at this stage.

This is an example spread from the book, featuring a lift-the-flap element. This brings an element of the Naturesbase detective angle to the book too, as you have to identify the source of the noise. This concept just features a couple of points but the actual thing would have a large 21 questions style infographic to identify the animals. The book would also feature things such as the reader drawing their own map of the garden and learning how to build a fort and fire.

However, I haven't ruled out designing something along the lines of the hot air balloon ride for a slightly  younger age group as I feel that this would sit well with my passion for picture book design. I will have to broaden my ideas and then decide which route to take.

NB
During the talk, and playing in the garden, I became more enthused about the project, and I began to develop the hot air balloon idea in my head, and scribbled down a rough sketch of a possible scene in the book which I think will be the direction I take with the project.

INITIAL DESIGN

I have had a brief attempt at designing a cover for the potential book idea, using a more Graphic Design approach than an illustrative one.

I have gone with quite a simple but striking design for this first attempt. I feel I am equally strong with design and illustration, but perhaps bringing illustration in will give it more of a personal touch and set my work aside from the typical graphical style.

Next I will be designing a cover by hand and seeing which style best suits the content and best displays my skills.

BOOK IDEAS

Having had some time to reflect on the requirements of the brief and research around the topic, I had come up with a few initial ideas and angles for the book.

I was thinking of creating a slightly tongue-in-cheek 'survival guide' as I know TV programmes such as those Bear Grylls fronts are very popular at the moment, and children have always wanted to explore the outdoors and believe they're born survivalists (I know I did!). For this reason I had a concept in mind of a book called 'How to Live... in your Garden'. Originally I had thought of 'How to Live in the Woods' but I wasn't sure about it, as although it ties into the Naturesbase experience nicely, not every child has ready access to woods unless they're on an adventure holiday and I didn't want to encourage kids actually living in the woods.

Although I haven't currently mocked up any pages, I have envisioned using paper engineering techniques in the book, with pop-ups, lift the flaps and pull tabs. Some of the content that I have thought of using are identification guides to identify animal prints or poo, finish-your-own maps, and little activites. I want to take a light-hearted and tongue-in-cheek view to the book as I wouldn't have liked the feeling of being preached to at that age, and would rather the book laughed along with me. However, there would have to be enough to the book to ensure that there were actual activities and that it fulfilled its use and didn't make too much fun of itself.

While I was thinking of ways to develop this, I received an email with an attachment from the client, Gyles Morris, who had a clearer idea of what he wanted than I was expecting. He had stipulations for each age group, and definite ideas of the content:

Early Years (0-5)

Concept:
The importance of creative play in nature for child development when we are young.
Guidance for parents and carers with ideas to support children's creative learning.

Key words:
Very active, doing, looking, touching, pointing, brain development, creativity, nature deficit disorder, visual spatial learning, child development, feeling

Size and type:
A4, development to digital format

Type of learner:
Adults across the ability and experience spectrum, needs to be accessible and applicable to Early Years workers

Example Page:
How we find our way in life and develop language through seeing, hearing and remembering.
Development of visual literacy, visual spacial thinking
Needs good visuals and diagrams to support.

Other notes:
What we can do when taking children to the park, the supermarket etc

Thoughts
This really doesn't sound like the route that I want to take with the book, and sounds more like they want a book for adults that the child is going to have very minimal involvement with. I took this module as I would love to work in children's book publishing, and so I would rather find an angle that appeals more to the child reader.

5-7 Year Olds

Concept:
For children and adults to use and read together
Takes children around the world on a journey in a balloon to six different countries
Shows different games they play and their environments

Key words:
Countries; India, China, Peru, Australia, Norway and UK

Size and type:
A4, Interactive

Type of learner:
Should support younger children who learn through visual styles
Supporting pages for parents

Example page:
Colourful diverse landscapes
Not too stereotypical
Activities to make, such as journey stick, head dress, kite, dragon sculpture

Other notes:
Interactive, with environmental concerns

Thoughts
This is an idea that I could definitely consider, and am already thinking of art styles that could work with washed watercolours and Illustrator work giving contrasting options. This sounds quite similar to a book I'm working on at the moment for my Independent Study and could definitely provide options to express myself.

7-11 Year Olds

Concept:
Encourage children to investigate their environment
No adult help

Key words:
Adventure, explore, collect, clues, evidence, excite, search, create, solve mystery

Size and type:
A4, interactive

Type of learner:
Visually active

Example page:
Trail and tracks
Maps and journeys
'Did you know?'

Thoughts
I feel that this is actually very similar to the style that I had envisioned, and I hope that my idea can fit in with this to create an amalgamation that appeals to the client. My book idea has a detective vibe to it, and I was thinking of including a dog character as the child's 'Watson', which fits in with the idea of the child exploring the environment with their friend. This is the age group and essentially the idea that I had in mind so I think this is the one to start visualising.

I enjoy both illustration and graphic design and feel I am developing a certain style with each. I am writing and illustrating a picture book at the moment which is entirely hand-created, including lettering, while my design work tends to be almost entirely Illustrator-based, using infographics for inspiration. I am not sure at this point which art style will lend itself more to this project.

CHILDREN'S ACTIVITY BOOKS

I found an article on The Independent on 'The 10 Best Children's Activity Books', available here: http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/the-10-best-childrens-activity-books-7973155.html

Although the books on this list aren't all geared towards encouraging children outdoors, their approaches may be well suited to that cause. Here are a few selected books:

DOODLEPEDIA

This book combines some aspects of an encyclopaedia with a creative edge, which encourages the reader to finish the page illustrations with their own ideas. For example, a spread gives a few beginner's facts about the television and encourages the reader to complete the illustrations of television sets with their favourite TV shows, and another about sharks where you must draw in the shark's dinner in his belly.

I love the idea of this book, which isn't far removed from 'Wreck This Journal' but geared towards children and combines inspiring creativity with interesting facts. From a design point of view I love the simplicity of the page design, which is very understated and allows the child to overshadow the illustrations with their own. This aspect of interactivity in the book is something that I would look to include in my own, and encouraging the child to get outdoors and also get creative and involved in art is something I would look to replicate.

THE USBORNE HOLIDAY ACTIVITY BOOK

This book is designed for travelling when on holiday it seems, whether by car, train or plane, and features similar activites to Doodlepedia as well as puzzle sections. It also includes activites to try whilst on holiday such as games to play and recipes to make. Again, this would be an approach that I could easily adapt to fit the needs of the brief.

100 THINGS TO MAKE AND DO

This is again a very similar design, with an approach which encourages children to engage in craft activities. From the design of the cover it seems to be aimed at quite a young age group as the colours are mostly pastel shades and is very easy on the eye.

THIS BOOK IS TOTALLY RUBBISH

On a similar theme, this book again encourages children to engage with arts and crafts but with a view to recycling and teaching them about sustainability. This is something close to the heart of Naturesbase and something that I will have to keep in mind when designing my book.

INITIAL IDEAS

Having spent the last lecture looking into additional elements and paper engineering, I decided to begin my ideas by looking into which aspects of this that I could include in my work.

This sketch shows a design for a sort of cross between 'Wreck This Journal' and 'The Dangerous Book for Boys', with a mix of traditional line drawings and paper engineering, in this case tear out strips to create kindling. On the left hand side of the spread is the information about building a fire.

This is an identification style book aimed at a younger audience, making use of lift-the-flaps and could also use pull tabs and other paper engineering techniques. In this example the child is asked 'what lays an egg like that?', and when they lift the flap that bears the picture of the egg it reveals the animal that laid the egg.

This is a sort of combination of the two styles above. The first spread takes an informative, reference-style, approach to an activity, in this case how to build a treehouse. The second features a pop-up showing the finished article.

At the moment these are very rough ideas just focused on bringing extra features into the book, and as I need to pitch the idea to the client in a few weeks I will need to research more around the subject to decide on the approach to take and the age group to aim at.

INITIAL RESEARCH

'White Noise', by David A. Carter

White Noise is marketed as a pop-up book for all ages, due to its abstract content and elaborate pop-ups. As you turn the pages, the pop-ups rub against the pages and create the white noise, while the accompanying text seems to mainly be there to add rhythm as there isn't a narrative.

This is obviously very advanced for a pop-up book, and has taken some time and skill. This book could keep anyone entertained, although it seems that it could be easily damaged by a young child, and so could be a viable style to use for the main brief as it adds a level of interactivity and difference.

'Wreck This Journal', by Keri Smith

'Wreck This Journal', while not necessarily a book for children, features some interesting additional features. Each page encourages the reader to wreck or embellish it in a different way, with text such as 'poke holes in this page using a pencil', 'write one word over and over', and 'climb up high - drop the journal'. This gives it an extra element and encourages creativity from the reader. I thought about perhaps bringing some element of this into my designs for the brief, but the problem is that the book can only really be enjoyed once.

'The Dangerous Book for Boys', by Conn and Hal Iggulden

'The Dangerous Book for Boys' is a guidebook that encourages children to partake in outdoors activities such as building treehouses and markets it as for boys aged eight to eighty, featuring things that every boy should know. There is also a pocket edition, as the original is a large hardback, which gives an added dimension.