OUGD503 - Responsive - Project Report

In the beginning, the notion of the Responsive module was immediately daunting. Finding  a range of briefs that I wanted to work proved difficult initially, and the pressure and expectation of the completion of 4 briefs weighed heavy. Previous to the module my ability to work on multiple briefs simultaneously had needed much improvement, with inevitable neglect on the briefs I felt most pressure from. With responsive, I anticipated this to be exacerbated as a result of the multiple submission dates and deadlines to consider, from the competitions themselves to academic, and the additional pressure of the competitive nature of the projects. All this considered, to my surprise I have thoroughly enjoyed the module and am proud of each of the resolutions to the four respective briefs that I have undertaken. Though at times it has been stressful, the module has supplied me with the framework and opportunity to develop my time management skills, understanding of commercial expectations, the student design awards industry and my own professionalism in regard to the fulfilment of brief requirements and timescales. Additionally, the module provided me with my first real experience of collaborative practice. The briefs I have undertaken include YCN - UK Greetings, Papyrus’ call for an adult colouring page, the Penguin Student Design Award for Adult Fiction cover design of Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and finally YCN - Greenall’s Gin.

The first brief I encountered was YCN’s UK Greetings brief, calling for designers to create their own range of greeting cards and gift dressings. This brief immediately captured my attention as I love nicely designed greetings material and stationary; I knew instantly that this brief would be rewarding to me and my practice. Throughout my experience of university thus far, I have felt the need to produce serious, professional work in-keeping with my luxury-sector ambitions for the future. Through the UK Greetings brief I was provided with the opportunity to create work that was more playful — an indefinite change from other work produced throughout my journey as a design student so far. The collection I created, ‘British Biscuit Luxe,’ enabled me to design a collection that I am immensely proud of. The brief enabled me to ‘let go’ to some extent, and resulted in work that was still true to my luxury practice, though not as serious as previous works and was perhaps much more rewarding as a result. I enjoyed the entirety of the process of undertaking this brief, from initial research, idea generation, development to production and photography of the outcomes. In the future I believe I will find it easier to produce works that bring my style into question and take me out of my comfort zone without overthinking my practice — this thanks to the experience of the UK Greetings brief. Although it took me a little while longer than expected to create the collection, I believe the outcomes are of a high-standard as a result.

Next I produced an adult colouring book style line drawing, creating a visual representation of something that helps me feel calm and relaxed. This brief, set by the national charity for the prevention of young suicide — Papyrus — provided the opportunity to undertake a smaller brief with greater reward supplied from knowledge that the design was for a worthy cause. I wanted to complete the brief within a more restricted time frame to develop my ability in faster response to briefs, giving myself only a week to produce the drawing. Though I took just shy of two weeks to complete the brief/drawing as of other commitments and distractions, it has allowed me to identify that this is still an area I need to work on and will endeavour to do so in my future practice. Although my drawing was not selected to feature in Papyrus’ adult colouring book, I enjoyed producing the drawing and feel it would make for an enjoyable session of adult colouring-in. 

Following this, despite initial reluctancy to undertake the brief, I responded to Penguin’s Adult Fiction cover design brief. While my interest within design lies with editorial design, at first the brief did not inspire my practice for reasons unbeknownst to myself. Ultimately, I reconsidered the opportunity to design for Penguin as a result of the calibre of the publishing house and its contribution to the design industry. I selected Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ as I had encountered the book previously and therefore had the greatest understanding of this title in contrast to the other two options. With this brief, I was determined to complete the project within a short time frame, still searching for the gratification that I was capable of doing so following my shortcoming in regard to the Papyrus line drawing. This time, I was able to complete the cover design even faster than I had anticipated, taking only three days of intensive practice. The project showed me that if you fully commit yourself to something, results can be achieved quickly and professionally — this being a skill I aim to try and develop further after the rewarding nature of the experience. While I am pleased with the outcome I created, this brief allowed me to identify that I much prefer design entire publications as opposed to stand-alone covers.

Lastly came the collaborative brief to undertake, for which I had YCN’s Greenall’s Gin in mind as it provided the opportunity to create something ‘quintessentially British’ — this being a notion I enjoy. When the collaborative brief was first delivered, I was immediately nervous about the prospect of finding a partner from another course to collaborate with as I find meeting new people difficult. After meeting Alice Garrard following the presentation of work from level 05 graphic designers, animators and illustrators I felt relieved to have found someone who seemingly shared the same enthusiasm for the brief and had a design style similar to my own — citing clean and considered design as a commonality between our practices. Alice and I planned to try and meet once-per-week to ensure we kept each other updated and involved in one another’s part in undertaking the brief. Where this was not possible, emails and messages took place of face-to-face meetings. The approach we took to collaboration was to each produce work relevant to our subject areas and practices — meaning Alice was responsible for all illustrative work and I was responsible for layout, packaging and other graphic design endeavours. The illustration Alice produced served as the foundation for all campaign items, becoming the core visual identity of the collection. With-out it I would not have been able to realise the concept on my own, showing how much collaborative efforts can impact a project and the outcomes produced as a result.  Through working with Alice, together we were able to achieve more than we could have through working alone, whilst also producing a response that would not have come to fruition via solo efforts. The collaboration allowed for our different specialisms and skills to be used in harmony to create a Greenall’s Street party campaign. Despite pre-conceptions regarding the apparent difficulties many face in collaborative partnerships, I found undertaking the project with Alice a pleasure and has majorly changed my confidence in producing work collaboratively in the future. Collaboration does not have to mean all work has to be produced together, but is more about the sharing of ideas, feedback and discussions that inform design practice and result in resolutions that both/all parties are proud to have contributed to — which I believe both Alice and myself are in regard to the Greenall’s work we have submitted to YCN.

The body of work that the Responsive module has allowed me to create has unquestionably forced me to develop as a designer, attaining greater awareness of the commercial  initiatives of the design industry and the importance in taking a professional mindset to any and all projects in the future. I have developed skills, knowledge and confidence through this module and in retrospect have enjoyed the experience as a whole. The work I have produced is true to my practice aims and ambitions and I look forward to responding to more live externally set briefs in level 06 and my potential/hopeful career in design thereafter.

OUGD503 - Responsive - YCN: Greenall's Gin - Evidence of Submission

OUGD503 - Responsive - YCN: UK Greetings - Evidence of Submission

OUGD503 - Responsive - YCN: Greenall's Gin - Competition Submission Boards

https://issuu.com/stephenjdale/docs/stephen_dale_greenalls

OUGD503 - Responsive - YCN: UK Greetings - Competition Submission Boards

https://issuu.com/stephenjdale/docs/stephen_dale_uk_greetings

OUGD503 - Responsive - YCN: Greenall's Gin - Greenall's Street Party Collection

The Street Party pack brings together a range of items with Greenall’s at their very heart. From the Original London Dry Gin itself - to the personalised bunting and recipe cards, this campaign embodies and signifies what it means to be truly unapologetically British. Each item is instilled with the heritage of the Brand, as well as the British customs it has seen and been a part of creating.

Greenall’s green interpretation of the Union Jack  flag is the creative epitome of their Britishness, providing instant recognition to consumers as a part of the brand’s core identity. Iterations of this have been created and featured on the Limited Edition packaging and bunting to bring vibrancy to the campaign.

The Greenall’s crest, being the embodiment of their brand heritage, authenticity and over 250 years of stories as Britain’s oldest gin distillery, is featured on all campaign items/products. This provides reassurance to consumers of the Brand’s smooth taste credentials and superior quality.

Greenall’s dark green is their key brand colour alongside lighter green Pantone which brings to life the vibrancy of the social occasions that Greenall’s is at the heart of, with white as a secondary colour - The Street Party campaign creatively makes use of each of these colours to create a new, exciting and vibrant campaign that is still recognisable as authentic Greenall’s.

As a mandatory requirement of the brief, the Greenall’s Original London Dry Gin logo features on all campaign items. This additionally ensures each and every product is recognised as being part of the Greenall’s brand, which is important considering the introduction of new designs.

Founded in 1761 by Thomas Dakin, Greenall’s gin has been at the forefront of British gin for gin lovers through the centuries.158 years later, 1919 saw the Nation come together in celebration of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. It was here that the Street Party became a tradition that would become a staple of British culture. 

With this campaign, Greenall’s invites the Great British public to share in their celebration of British heritage, pride and their 100% ownable Original London Dry Gin by throwing their own Greenall’s Street Party. Each and every item within the campaign has been created with complete consideration of not only the brand’s history and heritage, but also its ambitions and motives for the future and target. 

The campaign provides millennials with a new means of celebration and social occasion through contemporary, vibrant and bold designs that also capture the essence of the Greenall’s brand - which is to provide products that can be at the heart of good times and social, responsible drinking occasions. 

OUGD503 - Responsive - YCN: Greenall's Gin - Production - Street Party Pack Box

All items featured within the Greenall’s Street Party campaign would be available to buy as a pack - to allow for the brand to be at the heart of the celebrations it inspires - though the Greenall’s Original London Dry Gin in Limited Edition packaging is the lead campaign product and would therefore be sold separately for the duration of the campaign. 

The box features Alice’s street party-scene illustration across each side as the staple visual of the campaign, while the top simply bears the Greenall’s crest and single juniper berry botanical illustration to encapsulate the identity of the campaign. Inside is a bright tone of green in contrast to the limited colour exterior.

A band bearing the Greenall’s Original London Dry Gin logo surrounds the box and sits beneath the Greenall’s crest - providing the pack with brand familiarity due to its part as the core Greenall’s identity while ensuring the heritage of the brand is clear. In contrast to the box design itself, the band also supplies a strip of surrounding Greenall’s colours that contrast the contemporary monochrome illustrations that feature on each side of the box. 

Additional Party Pack Pieces

In addition to the other pieces that are a part of the Greenall’s Street Party pack, further items could be introduced such as paper plates, cups and napkins bearing the brand’s core visual aids depending on success and/or demand of the campaign following introduction to market. 

OUGD503 - Responsive - YCN: Greenall's Gin - Production - Bunting

If there is one thing that truly makes a street party - its bunting. Even before the first recorded street party in 1919, Britain had a long held history of residents dressing streets for national occasions, using flags, garlanded material, and later bunting - the staple decoration of street parties made of strings of triangular pennants.With this Greenall’s personalised bunting, the truly authentic contexts of both Greenall’s and the British Street party are clearly celebrated.

Initial bunting designs explore a series of iterations of Greenall’s key brand visual: the green interpretation of the Union Jack, providing consumers with visual familiarity through colour and concept.

When taken to critique, all those involved noted that they felt the lighter bunting design with white ground beneath the green union jack was the most favourable design - light and bright for the summer   street party season. Feature of the brand’s logo and crest ensures parties making use of the street decoration are is instilled by the heritage and history of Greenall’s.

In addition to the original bunting design is an additional design, this being a triangular crop of Alice's street party illustration - this being the staple visual of the campaign and representation of campaign intentions. The Street Party scene illustration is the visual embodiment of this Greenall's initiative, and through its feature brings cohesion across other campaign products via consistency of visual presentation.

OUGD503 - Responsive - YCN: Greenall's Gin - Recipe Cards

A key part of the Great British Street party is the unity of community that it inspires - most typically manifested through the making of produce to serve and share at the event. 

The Greenall’s recipe cards feature the brand’s key colour scheme and visual details shown on the limited edition packaging to maintain campaign cohesion. The featuring of Alice’s botanical illustrations provide relevant visual representation for the recipe cards as of their context in regard to showing the ingredient of gin. It serves as a motif for further ingredients and inspires the natural methodology of baking by hand as opposed to shop bought produce.

Also featured on three of the cards are Alice’s cocktail illustrations featuring a free flow of watercolour, demonstrating the fresh vibrant flavours found in Greenall’s cocktails.

Alice’s Street Party Scene illustration here shows an ideal vision of what the recipes can be a part of if made.

The recipes included in the Greenall’s Street Party Pack have been chosen as quintessentially British with a Greenall’s twist.

The set of 6 includes 3 easy-bakes: 

Gin and Lemon Drizzle Cake

Although the exact origins of the Lemon Drizzle are unknown, the cake is said to be derived from the pound cake, which was first baked in England around 1700. A pound of each ingredient was used to make a simple, heavy cake to feed large groups of people - perfect for street street parties.

Gin and Tonic Cheesecake

While many cakes have a long history dating back to ancient Greece and Rome, where flat heavy 'cakes' were sacrificed to gods, the earliest documentation of a cheesecake most similar to that we know today is found in 'Forme of Cury' - an English cookbook from 1390. On this basis chef Heston Blumenthal has argued that cheesecake is an English invention.

Gin and Lime Jelly

Gelatin desserts, referred to as jelly in Britain, are desserts made with sweetened and flavored gelatin. This kind of dessert is first recorded by Hannah Glasse in her 18th century book The Art of Cookery, of which was a best seller for a century after its first publication. The book is considered as by far the most popular cookbook in eighteenth-century Britain.

And 3 Greenall’s original cocktails:

The classic G&T, a Mojito and a Basil Smash.

The notion of baking with Greenall’s gin presented in the recipe cards is sure to capture the mind’s of British millennials looking for new ways to make memories - with Greenall’s at the heart of their endeavours (as desired by the brand). Each recipe featured on the cards has firm British origins, reinforcing the quintessentially British heritage of Greenall's.

Printed on 300gsm bright white satin stock for a sleek, contemporary finish that is wipeable - providing functional cards less prone to damage when surrounded by ingredients.

OUGD503 - Responsive - YCN: Greenall's Gin - Limited Edition Bottle Label

Printed on self-adhesive transparent acetate, the limited edition bottle label bears a simplified variation of the box design for consistency within the street party campaign materials. The transparency of the label featuring Alice’s street party illustration and botanical

flourishes creates a clean, contemporary and pure aesthetic due to the clear gin inside. The label additionally features the other most important features of the box design, including the brand logo and crest of heritage.

OUGD503 - Responsive - YCN: Greenall's Gin - Production - Limited Edition Bottle Box

In celebration of Greenall’s coming together with the street party to communicate an authentic ideal of British heritage, the Limited Edition packaging brings together the familiarity of the Greenall’s visual language through colour and identity with Alice’s street party scene illustration to enhance the individuality of the packaging and communicate a new limited-time concept for the Nation to get 

involved in.

The packing uses Greenall’s dark green and lighter green Pantone colour to ensure familiarity of the brand is not jeopardised. This, in addition to Alice’s minimalistic line drawing creates a light, contemporary design perfect for the summer - when street parties are primarily held.

The new box design uses both Greenall’s typeface Futura and a script typeface to maintain visual cohesion with the brand’s existing identity. It also features an iteration of Greenall’s green

interpretation of the Union Jack - the creative epitome of the brand’s Britishness - and Alice’s

botanical illustrations for additional context.

Further features of the packaging include light green foiling, used on both Greenall’s crest and the ‘Limited Edition’ detailing to ensure the brand‘s heritage, authenticity and superior quality is clearly communicated to consumers.

The box has been printed on 300gsm bright white satin stock for a strong form and sleek finish that appears vibrant and contemporary - in keeping with the Greenall’s brand ambitions to appeal to target millennials.

OUGD503 - Responsive - YCN: Greenall's Gin - Alice's Illustrations

The following illustrations have been created by my collaborative partner Alice. Street parties are a great part of British culture and provide opportunity for communities to come together to celebrate national occasions.

As Street Parties are our chosen theme, we want to create an atmosphere of joy and celebration through communities. Alice's illustration features characters young and old to show the unity street parties bring. It consists of a limited colour scheme, emphasising the detail of the line work, and gives a nod to our personalised Greenall’s bunting which draws the composition together. The combination of line illustration, characters and colours bears an appropriate blend of traditional Greenall’s with a contemporary edge that has the potential to successfully capture millennials and beyond.

In addition to the main Street Party scene illustration, Alice produced botanical drawings following research into Gin and it’s ingredients - such as juniper berries. These hand rendered botanical features embrace the purity of the gin as well as accentuating the nature of street parties and the delicate craft of distilling. The traditional style of illustration aptly connotes the ‘Quintessentially British’ visual language of Greenall’s as a brand. 

Continuing in the same illustrative style of line work and limited colour, Alice also created Cocktail illustrations featuring a free flow of watercolour, demonstrating the fresh fruity tastes found in Greenall’s cocktails, alongside fine black outlining.

These illustrations also pick up on trends within the realm of cocktails and quintessentially British custom by featuring drinks within jam-jar glasses. 

With these illustrations I can begin to design the elements to be featured in the Greenall's Street Party Pack.

OUGD503 - Responsive - YCN: Greenall's Gin - Rationale & Critique

Rationale

The street party undeniably comes within the realms of Greenall’s call for a ‘quintessentially British moment’ having endured its presence within British culture for nearly a century. The notion in itself reflects the Greenall’s brand and it’s desires to inspire fun, social events and celebration of British heritage.

Critique 

Following additional research in to street parties and confirming the idea through a short rationale, Alice and I took the idea to a feedback discussion to ensure the idea was well recieved by peers and members of the target audience - millennials. Findings from the critique follow: 

Do you believe a street party represents the 'quintessentially British' moment Greenall’s are looking for?

All those questioned agreed that they conisidered street parties to be quintessentially British and that it was an original idea in regard to the Greenall’s brief.

‘Would you throw a street party yourselves?’

All who participated in the critique said that they would consider throwing a street party if they were supplied with all the required materials and/or products but were less likely to if it required individual sourcing of event items.

If all required items were provided in a Greenall’s Street Party Pack - would this encourage you to hold one and what would you expect to see in there?

Feedback recieved confirmed that the target would be much more likely to throw a street party if supplied with all the required items - these including the following: 

• Bunting 

• Paper Plates 

• Recipe Ideas 

and of course...Gin.

Following the critique, Alice and I confirmed our response to the Greenall’s brief would be a campaign-led Street Party Pack including Limited Edition Packaging (Bottle Box and Label), Recipe cards, Bunting and paper plates. 

OUGD503 - Responsive - Penguin Student Design Awards 2017 - Evidence of Submission

OUGD503 - Responsive - Penguin Student Design Awards 2017 - Final Resolution

This cover design for Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ features a close up of a centralised, dark knothole within a tree. This, an indication of Boo Radley’s actions within the novel and also a visual metaphor for things behind hidden/held within: Boo a recluse within his brother’s house, the good that exists within people, the racism within the town, the innocence within Tom Robinson and ultimately the story within the book’s cover.

A monochromatic black and white cover, the high contrast between black and white tones aptly represents the racial themes within the book, as well as themes of good vs. bad, right vs. wrong etc. This contrast provides a distinct aestheitc that would undoubtedly attract the gaze of consumers as a result of the tonal energry created through the juxtaposition of tones and the human eyes’ inability to view both of these simultaneously. Visual appeal is enahnced through strong feature of texture encouraging tactile exploration. Evident photographic origin has potential to appeal to keen photographer and judge Chris Packham.

Set inside the dark ground of the knothole within the tree is the book’s title ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ in white. This is communicated via two contrasting typefaces and styles - lower-case TeX Gyre Schola for transitional words ‘to’ and ‘a,’ and upper-case Avenir Medium for verb ‘kill’ and noun ‘mockingbird.’ The contrast in typogaphic style, letter case and character colour on ground has been used in enhancement of representation of racial conflict whilst also providing emphasis. This typographic device has potential to gage interest from judge and type psychologist Sarah Hyndman. 

Beneath this central focus is the author’s name, Harper Lee, white in a black box set in standardised formatting (Uppercase for first letter of names[s]) in typeface Tex Gyre Schola for cohesion with the above transitional words and for compositional balance. This additionally has greater tracking for greater emphasis and signification of importance.

The spine of the book features the same typographic styling as that on the cover for a resolution considered to be a cohesive whole. The spine also features the ARROW branding as requested by the breif.

The design of the back cover is much cleaner and flatter than the textural front cover, allowing for the blurb to be read with ease. Maintaining consistency, the back cover also makes use of the two contrasting type styles - TeX Gyre Schola for the quotes and Avenir for the main body of text. The quote at the top is aided by a small bird icon sitting above for an element of visual dominance on an otherwise purely typographic back cover, though this is balanced by the barcode at the bottom of the composition.

The lack of colour and feature of multiple typeface styles creates a cover with a timeless aesthetic and therefore would appeal to a contemporary readership as much as it would more mature readers. The cover design has a strong concept and is also different to the many covers that have come before it - choosing not to focus the visual on a mockingbird.

OUGD503 - Responsive - Penguin Student Design Awards 2017 - Development

The first steps taken in development of concept 02 were pencil rubbings taken of the bark texture of a number of trees. 

While these rubbings appeared effecive as orignal prints, once scanned-in left much to be desired in terms of aesthetic quality and clear communication of image content.

Instead, I chose to manipulate photographs taken of said trees, opting for high-impact black and white texturally heavy resolutions. The high contrast between black and white tones aptly represents the racial themes within the book, as well as themes of good vs. bad, right vs. wrong as featured within Harper Lee’s novel. 

This contrast would undoubtedly attract the gaze of consumers as a result of the tonal energry created through the juxtaposition of tones and the human eyes’ inability to view both of these simultaneously. Additionally, the photographic quality of the image may create appeal to keen photographer and judge Chris Packham.

OUGD503 - Responsive - Penguin Student Design Awards 2017 - Interpretation, Idea Generation & Selection

Interpretation

Having encountered Harper Lee's novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird' previous to this brief, I have a pre-existing interpretation of the novel. While the book's main theme is race and perception of race and is primarily concerned with Atticus Finch's defending of Tom Robinson, a black man who has been accused of raping a white woman in a Maycomb’s racist white community, it is the character of Arthur 'Boo' Radley who I believe provides a greater moral message on the ignorance of society as a whole, not just in regard to race.

Ignorance is the primary catalyst of racism, with people in the town shown to hate blacks for no apparent reason.  In the same instance, Scout and Jem fear Boo because of ghost stories they have heard around town, despite knowing nothing about him as a result of his seemingly sociopathic status having not ventured outside of his brother's home where he lives for years.

Atticus seemingly also plays a role on two sides, going against the town’s majority feeling in his defending of Tom as he sees the towns demeanour toward him is purely based on racism. Similarly to this, he knows Scott and Jem fear Boo because of rumours heard around the town and attempts to change their attitudes towards him.

In the end of the novel, Boo heroically rescues Jem and Scout and he is finally seen as a person just like anyone else. Jem's superstitions are vindicated as he realises that Boo has been watching over and protecting him and Scout, having left them gifts in the knothole of the tree by his brother's house throughout the novel. In the same way that Jem absolves his doubts of Boo, if people ceased their blind racism, they would be able to see that black people are equals in society.

Idea Generation

Considering the role of Arthur 'Boo' Radley in Harper Lee's 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' I have devised three potential concepts for the Adult Fiction cover design:

Concept 01

Over the course of the novel, Jem and Scout discover several items hidden in the knothole of the tree. In total, they find sticks of gum, a small box containing coins, a ball of grey twine, two figures carved from soap, a spelling medal and a pocket-watch. Eventually, they realize that Boo is the one leaving the gifts and are extremely upset when Nathan Radley, his brother, fills the knothole with cement. Concept 01 proposes a cover featuring small illustrations of all the gifts left in the knothole of the tree, these acting as a series of small clues of Boo's true persona to be understood by the reader as they delve further into the novel, slowly realising the significance of the items as they are left in the tree progressively throughout the story. 

Concept 02

A more straightforward indication of Boo Radley's actions within the novel, featuring a knothole within a tree - this also representative of things behind hidden/held within: Boo a recluse within his brother's house, the good that exists within people, the racism within the town, the innocence within Tom Robinson and ultimately the story within the cover of the book.

Concept 03

A purely typographic list of the items left inside the knothole of the tree by Boo Radley in contrast to the visual representations in concept one. 

Concept Feedback and Selection

Feedback recieved regarding each of the three concepts in critique detail concept 02 as the most favourable as it accordingly has a deeper context in regard to the novel - providing a more comprehensive representation of the story and characters.

Concepts 01 and 02 have been deemed more superficial and less concerned with the novels themes and range of characters, with too much focus placed on Boo Radley’s character. 

Following this feedback I plan to develop concept 02 into the cover design for the Penguin Student Design Awards Adult Fiction sector. 

OUGD503 - Responsive - Penguin Student Design Awards 2017 - Judges Research

Suzanne Dean – Art Director, Vintage

Suzanne graduated from Kingston University, where she studied Graphic Design. Her first job was at The Greenhouse, designing food packaging and brochures. A year later she was asked if she might be interested in publishing. She joined Penguin Books as a Senior Designer, working for Hamish Hamilton. Three years later she joined Macmillan, to work on the Picador list. Five years later she joined Random House as Art Director for Vintage Books.


Richard Ogle – Art Director, Transworld

Richard graduated from the University of Central Lancashire with a Graphic Design degree and the intention of working in corporate graphics and packaging but was fortuitously drawn into publishing through design agency The Senate. He became Art Director at Transworld in 2015. He was previously Art Director at Cornerstone for thirteen years. He has also worked at Pan Macmillan as Associate Art Director, and Headline Books as a Senior Designer.


Jason Smith – Art Director, Cornerstone

After graduating from the University of Derby with a BA Honours in Graphic Design, Jason moved to London to further his education at Central Saint Martins. He began his career working for a company which specialized in packaging for CDs and DVDs, combining his passion for music and film with design. The move into publishing was a natural progression and he secured a job at Random House as designer, quickly followed by a more senior role. He has recently been made Art Director of Cornerstone.


Sarah Hyndman

Sarah Hyndman is a graphic designer, author and public speaker, known for her interest in the psychology of type, and who aims to change the way we think and talk about typography. She has given talks about typography at TEDx, TYPO, SxSW and a range of other conferences.Her recent book, Why Fonts Matter, opens up the science and the art behind how fonts influence us and explains why certain fonts or styles evoke particular experiences and associations.Sarah runs an experiential type studio, Type Tasting, delivering unique and innovative talks, workshops and events designed to educate and entertain.
Chris Packham

Extraordinarily creative and prolific, Chris Packham has gained recognition as a naturalist, television presenter, writer, photographer, conservationist, campaigner and filmmaker.  He is best known for the BAFTA-winning The Really Wild Show and fronting BBC’s Springwatch and Autumnwatch.Chris is passionate about design, film and photography.  With many books published, his first photography book, 100 Things That Caught My Eye, (2014) depicted an eclectic collection of his photographs accompanied by his thoughts and insights as he captured each shot.  

By undertaking research into the judges of the Penguin Random House Student Design Awards for the Adult Fiction Cover, I have been able to identify the following information potentially assisting my own design direction:

•Vintage-style aesthetics may have potential to be favoured.

•Consideration of typographic representation, association and psychological connotation is imporant.

•Resolutions featuring photographic visual information may have potential to be favoured. 

•Graphic design knowledge is of an abundance in regard to the judges, with 4/5 having degrees in and/or a profession within graphic design.

•Use of space and layout will be subject to scrutiny (amongst other design principles).

OUGD503 - Responsive - Penguin Student Design Awards 2017 - Brief Information

Standout cover design is an integral part of the success of a book and Penguin Random House has created thousands of iconic book covers throughout the years. The vital role of illustrators and designers in the production of some of the world’s best-loved adult and children’s books has created and defined the identity of our UK publishing lists.

The Penguin Random House Student Design Awards are an opportunity for students interested in pursuing a career in design to experience real cover design briefs first-hand.

The process is made similar to the way designers at Penguin Random house work, as once the judges have selected the shortlist, Art Directors provide the shortlisted entrants feedback and further art direction on their submissions. Shortlisted entrants are then invited to resubmit their work, taking on 

board all the comments, before the final round of judging.

Students may enter a maximum of one design in each of the categories:

Adult Fiction Cover Award: To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Adult Non-Fiction Cover Award: In Cold Blood - Truman Capote

Children’s Cover Award: The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 - Sue Townsend

Book Selection

Out of the three potential books to design a cover for in response to the Penguin Random House Student Design Awards, Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mocking Bird’ is the book that I have chosen.

As a result of my existing knowledge of the story, this book has the greatest familiarity to me, having encountered the story previously. 

In addition to this, I have no interest in producing cover designs for the Children’s sector of the awards nor the Adult Non-Fiction. I believe Harper Lee’s novel is best suited to my practice.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

‘Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill 

a mockingbird.’

This being a lawyer’s advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee’s classic novel – a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. From the perspective of young Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores ‘with exuberant humour’ the irrationality of adult attitudes towards race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man’s struggle for justice - but the weight of history will only tolerate so much.

- Penguin

To Kill A Mockingbird is a Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece of modern literature and was voted the most loved book of the last sixty years by The Times readers in October 2009. It has been translated into more than forty languages and has sold over thirty million copies worldwide. 

With this Adult Fiction Cover Award brief, Penguin call for designers to create a new and classic cover for this book from a fresh perspective that avoids repeating obvious iconography used on the many previous editions of the book. The cover should feel timeless and confident, and appeal to a whole new generation of readers.

The cover design needs to include all the cover copy supplied and be designed to the specified design template – B format, 198mm high x 129mm wide, spine width 20 mm, incorporating the ARROW branding and all additional elements such as the barcode.

What the judges are looking for:

The Judges are looking for a striking cover design that is well executed, has an imaginative concept and clearly places the book for its market. While all elements of the jacket need to work together as a cohesive whole, the front cover must be effective on its own and be eye-catching within a crowded bookshop setting. It also needs to be able to work on screen for digital retailers such as Amazon.

The winning design will need to:

• Have an imaginative concept and original interpretation of the brief be competently executed with strong use of typography.

• Appeal to a contemporary readership.

• Show a good understanding of the marketplace.

• Have a point of difference from the many other book covers it is competing against.

• Copyright must be cleared for all images used in your cover design and must include a credit line on the back cover of your design or any third party images used. For example: ‘Cover photograph by Joe Bloggs’.


DEADLINE: 7th MARCH 2017