OUGD505: Brief 2- Evaluation

This brief was interesting to create work for as it allowed me time to look at books by various different theorists. As we had to produce a design for a book which is non duplicated I decided to go for Aristotle as not many would choose such an old philosopher and writer. Looking at his work now after knowing and learning about current writers based on evolution and the form of animals it was interesting to see his early theories of how animals are made up and why. His suggestion of body and soul is incredibly interesting and of course my love for animals outside of graphic design is what influenced me into creating a design for this book. Of course I also enjoy reading older books too as for COP last year I created artwork for a William Morris based brief, creating artwork with an older aura is something I enjoy which I also applied to this brief too. 

I focused much of my time on the first brief as this was much larger in terms of research and context however I believe I have been able to create a book cover which is reflective of Aristotle's works but in a more simplistic and modern interpretation. Due to the short amount of time I had to produce artwork for this brief it meant I didn't have much time to experiment with the many ideas I had initially sketched out which is disappointing. 

Despite this lack of time I have been able to produce a design which contains small elements of the theorist's work and ideas. Aristotle speaks about bones and animal structure so therefore in my illustration I simplified a lion into a more illustrative style rather than a traditional study- this ensures that the cover isn't too busy. 

My research into older printing techniques and greek books is also present in my type and colour choices. I had looked at traditional elements of type which includes letterpress, even though I didn't have time to use traditional printing methods I used a font which is textured much like my illustration the use of texture adds a form of character to the book cover which ensures it isn't too polished or modern looking. As the book is of quite an age I wanted this to be a vital point in my design which is why I spent time researching into different stock before deciding on my final one. If I had more time to produce the print of my final piece I would of spent some time screen printing or perhaps learning how to letterpress however due to limited time I had focused on the design for the exhibition.