What informed and motivated my design decisions?
Creating a children’s book had been a personal goal of mine for a while and I can say this project has been my favourite at my time at university! Looking into a variety of illustrated children’s books throughout the project really informed and motivated my design decisions; to seeing how they should be formatted, what illustration styles are appropriate for different target audiences, ways in which to keep a book an engaging read, and how colour can be used just to name a few. It was crucial to see what was out there in the market to know what I was creating was appropriate and fit in with what was out there for the target audience currently. Once I knew that I wanted to create the book on anxiety, broad research into the subject was crucial to gain a deeper understanding into it and researching ways in which parents can help a child manage their anxiety and tips for mindfulness informed the activities and content for the book.
What changes and developments has my project gone through?
When beginning to come up with ideas of topics for the children’s book, there were so many things that I was passionate about that I felt important to address to children from a young age, including bullying, identity, issues surrounding the environment, and keeping healthy just to name a few. This was narrowed down to narratives surrounding technology and the rise in social media as I felt this was very current, however it became clear that a children’s book wasn’t the best format to present this in and this was the outcome I really wanted to make. At this stage I didn’t have a specific target audience, which is when I narrowed down the topic to anxiety within children and how it can affect them starting school.
Many outcomes were considered including a box and set of cards, but the favourite idea was to create something really interactive leading to the combination of activities and a narrative in book format to introduce children to mindfulness techniques and managing worries. One of the main changes and developments in the book was adding characters to present their symptoms of anxiety and the tips they use to help manage these, as before I had a selection of tips but there was no narrative to guide children through these. After consideration, I realised that showing anxiety and worry within human characters and labelling them with anxiety wasn’t the best approach for the young target audience and eased them into the topic in a lighthearted way.
Therefore, this saw the characters changing to a group of jungle animals which introduced the topic not so heavily and maked it more relatable and engaging for children to read. The book originally was planned to be really interactive in the way of having pull out pages and flaps to reveal information, however as the creation and development of the book went on, I concluded that this wasn’t fitting the nature of the narative as it changed slightly towards the end and the book was engaging and interactive enough with the activities included.
Did I manage my time well throughout the unit?
I feel as though I managed my time well throughout the project: constant timetabling and planning what I was going to do everyday of the week really helped me stay on track and keep to a schedule so I would always know a rough idea of what I should be doing each week. I found having days of the week for specific aspects of the project helped me have time away looking away from different parts of the work and look back at it with fresh eyes, for example I would have a day of the week to work on the process book, a blogging day etc. Time planning over the Easter holidays was crucial as this was two weeks of independent study without any tutor feedback. I worked throughout Easter to really make use of this time and present a first draft of my book ready for the return to uni.
How did I respond to feedback?
I ensured I took a lot of notes in each tutorial, the good and more constructive feedback, so I could look back and reflect on what had been said. I would always have a few hours away from uni work after a tutorial to really digest the feedback and process what had been said. Furthermore, I found peer feedback really valuable; I would always take on board what peers said in the tutorial and found their suggestions really helpful. I live in a student house with a variety of creative arts students including costume and graphic design, and would regularly ask for their feedback on my work to get an outside perspective on it from someone with a fresh pair of eyes.
Are there areas of my design process that need more practice?
I found it quite challenging creating seamless layouts and not sticking to individual pages when creating the book - I feel I need more practice in editorial design and creating layouts as I didn’t always know the best placement for the type or if it was the right size. I really want to experiment with Pro-create and feel as though this software on the ipad would really develop and improve my illustration skills, hopefully in the near future I will have access to one and experiment with a range of new styles. as this is what they commonly use in industry.
What have I learn’t from unit of study?
I feel I have learn’t so much in this project! I had never made an illustrated children’s book before so the whole experience was very new and had it’s challenges as was quite out of my comfort zone. Firstly, I have learn’t the importance of having a defined target audience - discovering this through research really helped see where the book was needed in the market and defined my style of illustration and choice of wording to be appropriate for the age range. In addition, I have really developed my illustration skills in this project and found a new style that I love! I discovered so many ways of creating texture and how you can use pattern and shape to create really unique illustrations. Furthermore, I have really learn’t the importance of time management and juggling multiple projects at once. I feel this has began to prepare me for industry and being thinking independently. I also learn’t a new method of binding and the importance of choosing a method appropriate for the nature of the project and target audience.
On reflection, are there any improvements that I would make to my final outcome?
Overall, I am really really pleased with the final outcome I have produced in the FMP and feel it has really pushed and developed my skillset. I love the visual look to the book and feel the topic is really important to introduce from a young age due to anxiety affecting so many people. It was only towards the end of the project that I decided to change the characters to animals and have the jungle theme in the book, meaning I had to produce the illustrations for the book fairly quickly. If I had more time, I would have gone back and spent longer on some of the illustrations and experimented more with different compositions. Furthermore, I would have liked to explore additional items to the book, such as merchandise or toys to really push the narrative and message the book teaches, something that begins to get children talking about it with one another.
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