OUGD503 - Penguin Student Design Award - Initial Ideas Development

In the development of ideas, design experiments were produced in order to see how well each idea would be replicated visually. One approach in developing initial designs was a handmade approach, focusing on the attraction of Penguin Award judges towards more traditional approaches to design, which can be seen through research into former winning designs.

In taking this approach, it was decided to pursue the initial idea based on chapter one of the book which presents the belief of a woman who believed the earth was one flat plane rather than round and three-dimensional. This woman stated that "the earth is simply a flat plane supported on the back of a giant tortoise". In visualising this, it was decided to experiment with the use of photographic images since existing cover designs for the book, including the original 1988 version, make big use of this.

Since the quote in use as inspiration for these design developments can be seen as slightly humorous, it was decided to use this to bring a more playful element into the design which could attract a newer generation of readers in presenting the book in a non-serious and non-complex way. To do this, it was thought ideas could be combined, taking inspiration also from real theories presented within the book, such as string theory. In response to this, the photographic elements were both bound in string to reflect this theory and represent the idea that everything in space is connected. These elements were collaged together to present the planet as an extension of the tortoise shell.

Colours of this image were then also modified to become one colour to show it working as a whole image. These photographs were changed to black and white in order to be more fitting with the themes of space, representing the light and dark of the stars and sky.

In visualising how this design would look on the front cover, a quick design experiment was formatted, placing the image on a slightly textured background which matched the texture of the collaged photograph so that this did not seem as out of place and surrounded this with the relevant information.

Based on this visualisation, it was thought that the image still looked out of place, despite the slight consistency in texture between the background and this image. Since the image is an odd shape it was harder to place effectively on the page. Peer feedback also suggested that, whilst good development of ideas, it would be better to instead convey the theories Hawking presents himself since the book should feel celebratory of his work.