Hungry for graphics.. because I had to work through lunch...

I asked for this, I really did. No one forced me to pick graphics, no no it was all my idea... Do I regret my decision? No, not for a minute, I love our little design laboratory in studio 8, great atmosphere, regular dance breaks, everyone has really brought their A game. However - I am not loving this stress, it's the leaving cert all over again! I'm too soft to be competitive, I prefer teamwork! That is not to say that everyone isn't helping each other out in a really cool constructive way, it's just at the same time we all know that some of us wont get through, that's the stressful part!

Anyhow, rant over and on to the actual project at hand, we are designing book covers for a book of our own choosing. I would have loved to have done Alice in wonderland but in the interest of individuality I decided to go for Madeline L'Engels "A wrinkle in time". It's a little sci-fi, a little pseudo christian, lots of mind melting physics and then a big warm message about how everyone has a gift and how love is the one gift we all can give, it's BEAUTIFUL MAN!!!



Tessering for beginners



We have to do a regular cover for sale hypothetically, and then a conceptual book. Right now I'm working on my cover, I had about 55 thumbnails of ideas and pared that down to just 3 ideas.



Folded clock

 The first idea is a literal interpretation of the title, a clock representing time with a wrinkle in it. Not for any particularly significant reason I decided to crease the i in wrinkle and time as well, just because its interesting I suppose!


Paper dolls



The second idea comes from a scene in the book where the three main characters arrive on a planet called Camazotz. The inhabitants are all under the mind control of this evil entity called IT and their behavior is perfectly measured and co-ordinated by it. At one point the children are in the suburbs watching the children playing, all the little boys bounce their balls in sync and the others all arrive out of identical houses to call them in. This reminded me of a chain of paper dolls, as in all these people are all linked together and identical.



Polytrope glasses



The third idea involves a concept central to the book - the 5th dimension. While I was researching this idea I came across some theoretical 4 and 5 dimensional shapes. the one pictured above in the frames of the glasses is called a regular polytrope. The reason for the glasses is that two of the main characters - Meg and Mrs. Who both wear glasses and both travel by "tessering" through the 5th dimension. Mrs. Who's glasses are a feature at several points in the plot because they allow the wearer to rearrange time and space. 

Here is some of the further development of the above ideas. I decided that the first clock looked at little dull for a book aimed at young adults. Diners kind of came to the fore around the 50's and 60's, with those big fluorescent signs. Also the book does deal with a considerable science fiction element so I tried to find an image that might have looked futuristic at the time when the novel was set, but that would still be appealing today.

For the paper dolls I thought what sense does it make to draw the dolls when I can actually cut them out. I swear it damn near killed me, it took 8 attempts! I went with the black background because in the book IT is part of an even bigger evil called the Black Thing, so the background reflects how the people of Camazotz are surrounded by its influence.

I tried to develop the idea of the glasses by first of all experimenting with another theoretical shape, the hypercube. It's such a mind freaker, I drew loads of them and gave myself travel sickness! Anyhow I like the light blue colour because the mood of the book is quiet hopeful, also it's very clean which again I think reflects the books scientific content. So I tried different variations on this theme. I also tried to place the the glasses shape in such a way that the bridge sat on the spine, mainly because I'm trying my best to try and marry the front and back covers.

I think I'm going to go for a combination of the clock and the glasses for my finished design, still tons of work to be done! But I tell you now I am in no condition for work without my lunch and if that ever happens again next year you will see me gazing out the window in ceramics, unfulfilled but with a big sandwich!