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Page to Screen Evaluation.

This project, called ‘Page to Screen’, is based around books that were made into films, looking at the similarities and differences of the two, creating artwork inspired by them.

The concept of this project is to get a theme and ideas out to captivate a public audience, communicating imagery for them to understand and to be drawn to the design. It is a chance to practice skills for designing covers, advertisement and promotion. It is common that graphic designers get commission for promotional purposes, so practising these skills are really important for personal work to be seen by potential clients/companies.

The requirements for this project were to create at least 1 A3 film poster, 1 A3 book cover, 1 animated Gif, 5 hand-based designs and 2 final designs mocked up.

My book/film I looked at was ‘The Notebook’. I really enjoyed this because it is one of my favourite films, so I already knew a lot about it to begin with. I found reading the book version of the story to be similar as I just imagined the characters from the film, rather than making it up in my head because I had already seen the story in the film version.

The target audience for my book is predominantly female, possibly a more mature audience as well. This is due to the romantic and sad nature to the novel. I feel that a younger audience might not be into reading romantic novels.

The target audience for my film is mostly female because it more of a chick-flick romance. I think that it could appeal to teenagers as well as adults, as a film is easy to watch and visualise the story.

Overall, I feel that the general audience for the book and film versions of ‘The Notebook’ are very similar.

For most of my outcomes, I found my inspiration from Pinterest.com. I found this was a good outlook to find a range of images and work that inspired me because it is widely used by artists to upload images of their designs and it is so easy to use and create an artboard of inspiration.

I have learnt that type, colour and composition are very important when designing an outcome to fit an audience. Typography and composition especially, because that is usually the first thing people see on the work. If it is well designed and stands out, then the audience will be attracted to the work which is so important for promotion, advertisement and product design overall.

Research I found helpful for this project was not only artist research, but research on the author and director of the book and films my project was based on. This allowed me to figure out what kind of audience their work usually attracts.

One artist in particular that inspired my style of work was Roy Lichtenstein. This was because of his use of half-tone. I thought it looked really effective in his work, so I included it in many of my outcomes. Lichtenstein was known for his pop-art during the 1960’s. He was part of the new art movement along with famous artists such as Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns and James Rosenquist. I was also inspired by his use of bold colours. I thought that it would be good to include on a poster because it is eye-catching which attracts an audience.

For my book cover I created two different outcomes. The first one was very romantic, with more of an older audience in mind. The second cover was more of a modern, simple design. I think that it speaks to a younger audience because it is very modern and simplistic, yet still bold and eye catching.

In total I created 3 film posters. Each poster being completely different, exploring a range of techniques and processes such as thresholding, half-tone, greyscale and various brush tools. I think that each of these outcomes speak to the same audience (predominantly female) and represent what the film is about and the genre of romance.

One difficult process I had to overcome was creating my animation. This was because it was really complex and I had to move multiple parts of the scene. I think that I got overwhelmed with the amount of work I had set myself, but I was determined to finish and make sure it was what I had envisioned. I took my time and made sure I was counting each step correctly. The main challenge I faced was the timing of the frames, trying to get it to flow smoothly while also making sure it wasn’t too fast so that the different parts of the scene could been seen. I made sure to watch back my animation each time to make sure it was perfect, eventually I achieved the final result which I was happy with.

A new learning curve for me was putting my artwork into a mock-up document to make it look realistic. This is something I had never done before. I found it really interesting because I was able to bring my work to life and actually see what my book/film would look like in a realistic format. It didn’t take me that long to figure out how to get everything in line, once I had got into it, I was creating multiple mock-ups really quickly. I found them to look really effective and realistic, I chose ones from multiple angles to showcase my work and get a good perspective on how it would look.

Various photoshop techniques I used throughout this project were halftone, thresholding, digital drawing, animating using timeline and type manipulation. I also added in many hand-based elements such as drawing, printing, painting and transfers. I found all of these techniques combined made some really interesting and unique outcomes.

One technique that I thoroughly enjoyed was creating my animation using timeline on photoshop. Although it was time consuming and at some points frustrating, I found this the most rewarding outcome of the whole project. I think this is because of the amount of detail it has and how each part of the scene moves and comes to life.

Another technique I explored in this project was collagraph printing. This was inspired by the artist Laura Slater who creates prints on fabric of shapes and unique designs. I used a variety of shapes cut out from different materials to create unique patterns and designs. I really enjoyed the creative freedom this technique of printing has and how nothing has to be too particular or organised.

This year so far has been different and a challenge due to Covid-19. The whole course has had to adapt to the new rules and regulations and part of this was the introduction of using Tumblr.com as a platform to post our work onto. I was apprehensive at first but have grown to really like the ease and convenience of using this as a way to showcase my work, processes and research. Due to my specialism being graphics, I find this to be helpful to post my work in a high resolution, so it can be seen in the best and clearest way.

Overall, I really enjoyed this project and liked creating a variety of outcomes, experimenting with styles and trying new techniques.

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Film poster design 3.

For this poster i wanted the main characters from the film to be the main focus. I chose to threshold them because i wanted the title and smaller details in colour to stand out.

I really like the contrast of the black and white with the bright orange title. I chose a hand-written looking font as i feel it relates to the notebook, and looks really effective as if it has been drawn over the front of the poster.

The army green colour behind the character ‘lon’ in the middle symbolises the war because thats where him and allie met and he was a soldier, so i thought it would be important to include that into the design.

For the colour palette in this poster, i used the website ‘coolors.co’. This randomly generates colours that compliment eachother. I found this helpful for creating a unique colour palette and design.

Poster inspiration;

This outcome was inspired by these posters i found on pinterest.com . I really liked the style of collaging images from the movie of the characters and having them overlapped on the poster. Also i implemented the idea of changing the look of the images to be more posterised and graphic.

Mock-ups of my poster;

The process;

I started this design with chosing the composition of how i wanted the characters on the page. I wanted to have the main character ‘Allie’ and ‘Noah’ to be right at the front, then ‘Lon’ in the middle and finally the older ‘Allie’ and ‘Noah’ right at the back.

I then chose the colours i wanted to use using the website ‘coolors.co’, which helped me come up with a colour scheme that corresponded with eachother.

To add in texture to the image, i used a half-tone brush and changed the size of it using the brush settings until i was happy with the size of the dots.

Once i had my background, i then needed to add in the detail of the typography and make sure it was a colour that stood out ontop of the images.

I chose a font that was handwritten looking, so it related to the book and storyline of the notebook being written.

Finally, i decided to add in an extra detail behind the middle character, to highlight the middle but also to hide the harsh cut out lines of the bottom of the characters.

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Book cover 2 mock ups.

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Book cover 1 mock ups.

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Experimenting with different book cover outcomes.

These are book cover outcomes i experimented with, trying different colours and fonts.

I liked experimenting with different fonts on my designs because i wanted to see how the styles would go with my design. I feel that the ones that look more hand written were more effective and looked better on the front cover.

The colours i used for the backgrounds where found on the website ‘coolors.co’ where it randomly generates colours that compliment eachother. I found this helpful to find different unique colours to use on my outcomes.

I found it interesting looking at how different changing one or two things about an outcome can make it look. I also like how these designs look together on the artboards.

Out of all the outcomes i made, the one that i like the most is the green one. This is because of the colour and how unique and bold it is, i think it stands out really well. I also like the type used for the title and author. I used this typeface to change the quote on the back aswell.

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Trying different film poster outcomes.

These were outcomes i created today, experimenting with different colours, textures, fonts and layers.

I wanted to create some simple posters for the movie ‘The Notebook’.

I chose to use an image taken from the movie of the main charactes as the focal point of the posters. I also wanted to include the title in a font that looks like it has been written, just like in what you would see in a notebook.

I took a still image from the film and cut out the main characters and greyscaled them.

I also added in some halftone brushes and added in a layer behind the image to create some dimention. I added in an extra detail of colour to the skirt.

I chose a colour palette i found on coolers.co .

Poster 2 - The final outcome i liked the best is this design;

Mock-up of my design;

Inspiration I found on pinterest;

I was inspired by this piece for my posters because i like the combination of the solid background and the cut out black and white image. Also i liked how the handwritten style of typography stands out really clearly.

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My Animation / Gif.

The process;

I stared my animation by deciding what i wanted to be in it. I chose the lake scene where the characters Noah and Allie are sorrounded by white birds on the lake. This is the most iconic scene from the film and the main turning point to the ending.

I chose to use my digital drawing of the boat and the main characters to be the feature of the scene. I also wanted to include the birds and have them bob up and down on the water.

To start the frame process of the animation, i put together the first scene / frame.

After the first frame was finished, each frame after that i moved each part of the scene a few clicks using the arrow keys to make sure it would be more accurate.

I then saved the file as a different number each time using the “save as” option so it didnt overide my previous work.

I ended up with 52 frames in total for my animation.

I then used all of my frames and put them into photoshop as layers and then in timeline i converted the layers into frames so they would be able to play in order.

I also experimented with different speeds that the frames played so it would be faster to look more smooth.

I then created the text to add onto my animation using timeline in photoshop.

I added this animation ontop of my allready animated scene and that gave me my final result.

My animation is inspired by this scene from ‘The Notebook’;

Gif animation inspiration artist;

Salmianna

I found this gif / animation artist on pinterest.com . I was inspired by the drawing style she ises within her gifs and how she clevery puts them together. I especially like how alot of them include the human figure.

I was also inspired by how parts of her animations do not move. I think this highlights the elements that do move really well and creates a unique effect. I implemented this into my own animation when i made the water still but had all the birds and boat moving ontop of it, which i think helped to highlight them.

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Collagraph print workshop.

This workshop was based on collagraph printing, using different materials and shapes to build up texture and layers to create an outcome.

I made a total of 3 different outcomes.

The process;

Firstly, i cut out all of my different shapes using a range of materials such as; cardboard, bubble-wrap, card and styrofoam.

I then used got a small amount of printing ink and rolled it out using a roller. I then took that ink that was now on the roller and applied it to the shape/material.

Once it was inked up, i chose an area of where to place it onto my design and pressed it onto the paper.

After pressing down for a few seconds i lifted the shape off to reveal the print.

I repeated this process several times using different shapes and textured materials.

I think that the bubble-wrap had a really interesting, look to it as it had so much detail and uniqe shapes inside the ‘bubbles’.

This print work was inspired by the work of Laura Slater.

She uses bold shapes using ink ontop of fabric to create unique designs. I was influeced by certain shapes and patterns taken from her work.

Her use of bold and contrasting colours create strong statment pieces and are really interesting and unique to look at.

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Book cover design 2.

This is my second book cover design. I chose to make the bird a focal point in this cover. I wanted it to be quite simple but bold.

I tried to make the title more unique by making it bend round the bird drawing. I also thought that the contrast between the black background and white writing would be really bold and eye catching towards the audience and make people want to look at it. I also think it would work because its not overly busy on the cover so it is not too much.

The process;

I first started out with my outline drawing of the bird (which i created using illustrator) that i wanted to be the main feature on the cover.

I allready knew that i wanted it to span across the whole cover as i thought it would ve a unique design and when the book is opened up the bird design is revealed.

The next thing i did was fill in my design to create the image of the bird.

I also cleaned up the lines and added in colour.

This design is heavily inspired by the bird i designed previously on my last book cover design;

However i thought that a brighter orange would look better for the beak because it would stand out against the black background really well compared tkothe darker orange.

The next thing i added to my design was the title and author text.

Once i had found my desired font for the type, i rasterized the text and used the warp feature to bend the text and create the unique curved text around the bird.

Next i added in the blurb to the back of the cover and also the title and author to the spine of the cover design.

I chose a fairly minimal font because the title was already quite bold.

Lastly i added a quote onto the bird design and also the barcode.

I made the quote bend down the bird drawing using the same technique i did on the title.

I also chose the quite to be “if you’re a bird, im a bird” as i thought it would be fitting as it is ontop of the bird design.

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Poster design inspiration.

These posters are designed by ‘Zeka Design’. I found these posters on pinterest.com .

The reason i am so interested in these designs in particular is their use of layers and colour. I am taking inspiration from them to take images taken from ‘The Notebook’ film and turn them into a singular colour/tone and layer them with other images or shapes.

I also really like their use of the black and white toned images that are in the posters. I think this is effective at drawing your eye to the image by adding that bold, black detail. I also this it correlates with the bright colours really well because the contrast is quite strong so they work together.

The simple, minimal text used on the posters makes them look really clean and not too busy, even though there is alot on the poster. This might also be because there is a significant amount of blank space left on them, which helps to highlight the focal point of the images in the middle. This would be good for a film poster to highlight the images of the film to draw attention from the audience.

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My first book cover design.

This is my first book cover design based on ‘The Notebook’.

For this design i based it around the lake scene in the story where Noah takes Allie in his boat after she comes back to see him after many years. This is a crutial point in the story, as shortly after Allie confesses her love for Noah and they come back to eachother.

A main feature of the imagery in the story is the birds that swim in the water around the boat. I chose to include this in a form of a small simple drawing of the bird and featuring it on the spine and the back of the cover.

I chose to not give the characters features on the front cover, as i think for a book its important for the reader to make their own mind up about the characters apprearance and to use their imagination.

The development process;

Firstly, i set up the A4 document on photoshop. I made sure to use the ‘rulers’ to get the center point of the page, then moved 5mm to each side to get the width of the spine part of the cover.

To start the design i figured out i wanted the background of the book cover to be a light blue colour with a white boarder as i think this would look really simple but still bright and eyecatching.

I also knew i wanted to add in my digital drawing of a boat scene to the front of the cover. I origionally drew the dress blue, but as the background is blue i decided to change it to purple to help it stand out so not everything is too blue.

I also made sure to add in the barcode as you would find on most books.

Next i placed all of my type on the cover and decided what font and placement to have.

I chose to add in the title in a handwritten font because i felt that it tied into the theme of the notebook and writing. I also like the font used for the author as it looks like a hand written signature.

One detail i tried to add was the use of the birds in the scene that i included on the front. I drew out a bird shape using illustrator and used it as a small simple detail on the cover.

Lastly i added in some final details. I decided that the blurb on the back needed some extra white detail to help it stand out and add more interest.

I also added in a quote from the book at the bottom. I used a handwritten looking font because i thought that it could look like it was taken from the notebook that Noah was reading in the story.

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Scans of my screenprint work.

Independant research based on a screenprint artist that inspires me;

Blexbolex

Blexbolex is a multi-award winning graphic artist and illustrator based in Berlin (origionally from france). He has a degree in screenprinting and had been working in prints for over three decades. His artwork is often found in childrens books and graphic novels. He combines hand-drawn illustration with printing techniques to create bold, strong, graphical art pieces.

I am inspired by this artists work because of their use of shape and colour. I like how the lines are bold and the shapes solid, this gives the artwork a really nice contrast throughout the pieces. I love how each part of the whole image is an individual shape and they all come together to form a scene. The oray of colour spread across their artwork really makes me see why the artwork is featured on childrens books, because they stand out and are child-like in a sence that colour provides a powerful way of learning about the world, it invites them to explore the world around them.

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Independant research.

These are some artwork pieces i found on instagram created by the artist Niki Usagi (@nikiusagi).

They are collage pieces created using colourful pieces of paper cut into shapes that put together, create a unique bold image.

The reason i am inspired by these art pieces is the use of colour within them. I like how bold and bright they are and how well each colour goes with one another.

These pieces have inspired me to use more colour within my work, because seeing how well these colours go together could look really good within my posters.

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Screen-print Workshop

In todays session i created a series of screen prints. Experimenting with colour, texture, shape, design and layering.

For some of my prints i cut out scenes from my film to create some shapes of the characters.

I also cut out my own shapes into paper to create my own unique shapes.

I have some ideas of how to incorporate my prints into my poster designs. I am thinking of using them as background layers behind images taken from the film ‘The Notebook’.

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Developments of my continuous line drawings using photoshop to add colour and texture.

To create these drawings i used multiple layers of solid colour and some small parts are half-tone.

Layer development of my drawings;

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Independant research.

Minimal movie posters i found on Pinterest.com.

I really like the simple yet effective design that is really creative and eye catching in these posters. The bright colours drew my attention and i like how alot of the time the colours link to the type of film it is e.g. Audrey Hepburn “breakfast at tiffanys” poster is pink which relates to the main character who is a woman because pink is seen as ‘girly’.

I find the clever imagery included in the design of these posters really interesting. For example the poster for ‘Oceans Eleven’ has a really clever dice that displays 11 dots on it signifying the ‘eleven’ part of the title of the film. Also the background is green signifying the gambling tables in a casino where the film takes place. This inspires me to use some clever imagery in my movie poster.

I feel that i could create a simple design that realtes to my film / book that would look really effective.

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My profiles i created based on the type of audience my film/book would have.

These where created on illustrator using the pen tool. The original face that the work is based on came from an ai generated face. This is basically faces of people that are not real and their faces have been created using computer software.

Film;

For the type of audience i would expect for the film of ‘The Notebook’ i created a young adult called Nancy. She is 25 and likes socialising with friends. Her films choices are chick flicks which is the same genre as ‘The Notebook’. I felt that this would be appropriate for my film because statisticly young to middle aged woman watch more of these types of films than children and men.

Book;

For the type of audience i would expect for the book i created a more mature lady called Susan. She is 52 years old and enjoys reading and even attends a book club. I chose to make her personality trait emaginative because i felt that goes with book because you have to imagine the story as it plays along. I chose her to be a more mature lady because i feel that the older generation have more time to read books and find them more enjoyable.