OUGD505 | STUDIO BRIEF 2 | INITIAL DESIGNS

After discussing with the illustrators what kind of images I had in mind, I started to plan the activity book. I looked into different activities children could do in the book, including colouring in, word searches, mazes, crosswords and word jumbles.

It's important to keep the content engaging for the target age range. If the content is too simple, they will get bored of it, and if it's too complex it will be too difficult and they won't enjoy it.

Front Cover

The front cover has to be attention grabbing and inspiring to get parents and children to engage with it. As the book promotes veganism and sustainability, it made sense to brand the pack "VEGAN". Using a couple of different hand rendered typefaces, I began experimenting with creating a logo which can be applied to all of the different deliverables featured in the pack.

Bellaboo

Besom 

Zesty Lime

Bellaboo was the first typeface I used, it's long thin strokes representing a more serious tone than the other fonts. This typeface was also limiting as it was only available in uppercase. 

Besom is a very loose looking typeface with quick strokes representing a more hand-rendered approach. This will appeal to children as it is easy to read and they'll be able to relate to the sloppy looking letters, e.g. the G has been done in one quick stroke. The typeface also comes in lowercase. 

Zesty Lime is quite similar to Besom in it's approach, being quick and having a carelessness about it. The typeface is limiting as it's the least legible of the 3 due to it's extremely thick strokes and contrasting weights. 

From this analysis, Besom is the best typeface to represent the brand. It can also be used for headers inside of the book to keep consistency. 

Logo design: 

The logo takes the word "VEGAN" and places it in a circle, giving it more of an iconic value rather than just being a logotype. It creates a recognisable shape and looks fun. This works in conjunction with the front cover and simple leaf illustrations: 

Activity Book

Looking online, I found some examples of word searches and crosswords suitable for primary school age, and used these as inspiration for the ones I created:

A simple layout and clear instructions are important with puzzles to ensure that children are focussed and engaging. Taking this into account, I designed the first set of puzzles. 

After I had received some of the initial illustrations, it was possible to begin making the book more engaging and colourful. A simple border design really boosts the minimal looking pages and makes the page look really fun.

Other activities also benefit from this simple inclusion, for example circling the words that vegans and vegetarians can eat. This activity teaches children the differences between vegans and vegetarians, and shows them they can gradually eat less animal products if they want to. 

Recipe Cards: 

The recipe cards are an important deliverable for the activity pack. These cards are able to teach children fun ways to cook that are totally cruelty free. They need to be engaging and exciting for the children, and also not inconvenience the parents too much (as the children may need to be supervised). 

A total of 5 recipes will be included on the cards that children would want to cook. As children don't often cook the main meals, these are more like snacks they can enjoy between meals. 

Bananaberry pancakes - 

The VEGAN logo will sit on the back of the recipe card in a colour corresponding to the recipe. For this particular card the logo is a dark peachy red. An illustration of the food is also going to be included on the recipe card to show the finished product and inspire the children to make it themselves.