OUGD503 - Penguin Design Awards: Evaluation

OUGD503 - Studio Brief 1/Penguin Design Awards 

Evaluation 

My resolution to the brief is informed by the colloquial tone of voice taken from the content and satirical personality of the author, creating an engaging cover design that stands out in a busy retail environment and is reflective of the of the issues discussed within the book. The aesthetic will engage an audience through the striking use of imagery that has polysemic interpretations. Inspired by feminist art, at first glance this imagery is ambiguous and shocking, demanding the audience to engage with the cover design taking a closer look where the image can be identified as a papaya. This then creatively implies the sexual innuendo to connote the female vagina. This concept is representative of the authors personality identified through research, listening to interviews and Vlogs and is an accurate representation of how she uses satirical metaphoric language within the book, creating a sense of continuity between the cover and content.

The aesthetic is refined using a minimal two-colour palette, the combination of pastel pink and navy blue is bold and contemporary which will appeal to the key demographic. The colour palette contrasts each other well ensuring the text and image is clearly legible within the composition, further this represents a sense of equality using pink and blue in harmony as this is often used to stereotype male and female and points and is used here as a metaphor to suggest the equality of men and women. The composition of the cover is refined and minimal to create a timeless aesthetic, the use of symmetry within the cover design works well using the titles to highlight the natural symmetry of the papaya fruit which is positioned as the central focal point contrasting well against the bold navy cover. The striped background takes inspiration from the classic penguin cover design as the brief stated it needed to feel ‘timeless and classic’ this revitalised style creates a contextual link to the heritage of penguin which will appeal the audience, revitalised in this modern form. The brief further states that the cover should also communicate that the content is ‘very entertaining and often very funny’ which is clearly articulated through the playful use of sexual innuendos and connotations within the covers imagery.

The result is a classic cover design that feels traditional and timeless yet will appeal to a contemporary audience through the use of a bold colour palette and humorous imagery that embodies the personality of the author and satirical content. This further results in an appropriate design that will stand out within a busy retail environment and equally transition seamlessly to online platforms contrasting against the white website backgrounds.