Karla Burns

This is what the package I mentioned previously contained. I am a published author and illustrator now.

Well not quite! For the last project of the semester in December, we were asked to create a visual narrative on an issue that effects designers in everyday working life. I chose to highlight the ethical and moral issues that designers meet everyday and the consequences of designers job choices. I chose to challenge myself and design something unexpected. I had already designed two posters that semester, I had previously created an animation, I wanted to create something different. Something in print that could be sent out to designers that would interest and intrigue them. So I settled on the idea of creating a 28 page, hand illustrated kids book that would visually illustrate the story, with little text, so it could be quickly read and digested.

I decided to name the book Jasper, I wanted to make a brand, a character that could last longer than one story book. A character that could present designers with different issues and stories that would affect and be appreciated by the design community. I wanted to create a character, that would be instantly recognisable that could beautifully transfer on to merch etc. I created this unique little guy, tall, with long, thin legs and arms, that only ever wore jeans with graphic t shirts. I wanted him to be approachable, someone a designer could relate to. Not some straight laced, well to do character whom dictated to the designer what they should and should not do. If you have not already gathered from my previous work I absolutely adore colour, and I wanted to make this book incredibly colourful just like any other kids picture book. Here are some pages from the book:

Throughout the book where possible I tried to experiment with typographic layout. Through my research of kids books, I found a disconnection between word and image, that words were just an after thought in their placement and they just looked awkward.

I also experimented with layout and framing. So pages were spilt into sections with differing illustrations, some were extreme close up illustrations with little detail, some were far away with much detail creating a scene.

I tried to keep the characters simple, not fussy in detail or colour. I wanted the characters to remain constant in style and shape throughout.

Below is the final page. I finished the book with a simple hand written statement by Jasper. I wanted the eye to be drawn to the statement so I used white space, rejecting the fussiness of any form of a background or creating any vision of a scene. The emphasis is on the message of the story, one last powerful hit.

I only had a week to write the story, illustrate all 28 pages, scan them in, typographically place the text, and send to the printers. It was an extremely intense process, but I was extremely excited to receive the finished product, a beautiful book in my hands that I had written and designed. This is definitely a venture I will return to very soon, I would love to create and illustrate actual kids books, but next time I will take more time to fully experiment with the process and outcome, maybe die cutting or pop up?

This is the back page to the book. I wanted the back cover to be hectic and the front cover to be simple. I have Jasper leaning over into the front cover, looking innocent and inviting, but you do not discover until the end or until you turn to the back that he is trying to hide his dirty secrets, the designs he has created that have bestowed awful consequences onto other living beings. I was so pleased with the cover.

Let me know what you think of my first book.