Cover design: You can’t take it with you

You might be wondering what sort of design have I been doing. Well, it wasn't entirely exciting, since I worked in publishing that specialise in academic text books and trades. But as a designer, you really need to take the opportunity to always have fun. Otherwise, everything is going to be dull and boring. Playing around is what we do as designer to keep our creative minds alive :P

Let me show you one of my favourite cover that I worked on. Although, in the end, it wasn’t quite the perfect cover I wanted to be. But hell yeah, I had fun and that’s what important: The process.

You can’t take it with you is a trade book about managing your wealth before you go to the better place. It provides advices on how to make a good will and etc. Above is my first concept. I like it how surreal it looks like. Everyone at the studio had a chuckled about this cover. The concept is about heaven and earth. The man with white suits, which reminds me of Morgan Freeman at Bruce Almighty movie. He is either being happy for what he have done or was looking back his life with regrets. I guess, you need to read the book if you wanted to be happy and RIP.

After reassessing the cover, I decided not to send through the first idea. So came up with the second one. This is relates about travelling. Mind you, this book is only for Australian market thus there’s some Australian icons incorporated in the cover. I thought this was pretty darn good and would hit the jackpot! But sadly, turned down by the publishing editor. They completely dislike the travel angle since it could be misleading as a travelling book. They got their points.

So back reworking the cover again. Received their suggestions, this is pretty much what they said “try to make it more simple like just pen and paper. Or look death in more metaphorical sense, perhaps a road leading into a white light”. Oh, how hard could it be (yes, it’s very common to receive a contradict comment. At this stage, they are desperate to get the right cover. They pretty much don’t know what they want). Luckily, I still had my patience and I was actually getting more excited. Hmm… a road leading into a white light… Aha! This is what I came up.

Remind you of something? It’s from Mr. Bean opening title. I really like it a lot, it’s brillant! Stronger than the original concept. I came up with more ideas, but they weren’t great. It was just showing what they’ve asked for.

But it wasn’t there yet. So I went to do more traditional approach, searching for stock photos. Then this came along. For the last draft, I only sent this one cover and they LOVE it! Even the author was so pleased. It wasn't the most exciting cover but it's an appropriate cover for what it meant for.

The rationale: Letting go ballons is certainly becoming a more common ritual at funerals. And there are plenty of other ties such as 'letting go'. It’s probably more common at younger people's funerals, but we are banking on the fact that most people don't think of themselves as old or near to dying. And a prime market for this book is definitely the 30s and 40s with young kids. Since Many of these parents probably haven't already done a will. (I am on mid 20's and I’ve already got my will and my self insured. Although, I just wish I had my income protection insurance as well, sigh…).

ps: this post had been on a draft for ages, since 10/02/09. I just haven't got the time to post the images yet. And, just incase it might cost me loosing my job :P But you know what?! I already HAVE!

So what do you think? Tell me your opinions? Should I put the whole process into my portfolio?

On my wish list: Food Safari

You know how much Brisbane has grown. I found another new spot for me to hang out!!! Just opposite Borders at Queens Street Mall, Dymocks open their store. It's pretty big. I found couples nice design book where I could comfortably skimming them :P (not like in folio where the store so intimate. the cashier just around the corner).

The first thing that I picked up was Food Safari by Maeve O'Meara. If you don't live in Australia, maybe you are not familiar with Food Safari. It a tv shows from SBS that takes you on a culinary globetrot across Australia. The producer and presenter is Maeve O'Meara. I've been collecting the DVD, it's now up to the third one. I was amazed because it's really covered the whole seasons from the show, packed up with the recipe.

I really like Food Safari. Well, I rely on their recipe quite a lot. It's very easy to follow, no gimmicky. All the cooking was just done from three-hat chefs to passionate home-cooks. I really don't know what to do if I lost all their recipes ahahhaha… My top list dishes was inspired from watching their show. Which I just cooked last night, Ikan bumbu bali!

Another that surprise me that given me hard time to put down the book was — it's beautifully design. You've seen lot's of cook book design, they're all pretty nice. But this one is extra nice. Hoefler & Jones typeface — Archer combined with Avenir strikes me. It could be using the new Sentinel but could be just normal Clarendon (it's too much luxury if they do). The way the photos were laid out covered with nice pretty patterns, is just lovely :)

I love the book! and its has Maeve O'Meara autograph!!!

Check out the book, here. You could dowload the sample pages as well. So you could see the design and the recipe :)

We feel fine

A very charming book by two digital whiz kids Sep Kamvar and Jonathan Harris use their computer programs to peer into the inner lives of millions, constructing a vast and deep portrait of our collective emotional landscape. It really hit my weak spot as a designer (and a women). I just can't stand the mesmerizing visual graphics. It's genius. See more inside the book, here.

Armed with custom software that scours the English-speaking world's new Internet blog posts every minute, hunting down the phrases "I feel" and "I am feeling," the authors have collected over 12 million feelings since 2005, amassing an ever-growing database of human emotion that adds more than 10,000 new feelings a day!!!

Know more about We feel fine: an almanac of human emotions here. Buy the book here.

Duck! Rabbit!

Something fun to watch. It's short animation from a book called Duck! Rabbit! by By Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld. It teaches your kids about optical illusion. It's definitely a compulsory reading for my kids (My kids!!!!… Oh my, I'm thinking too far) well, just incase they want to follow my foot step become a graphic designer :P (ck ck ck… yes, i'm being ridiculous) You could get the book from here.

Have a lovely weekend everyone!!! Hope you enjoy the short clip^^ …and Happy Birthday to Kanimaki^^ I wish you have a great birthday

My Nilfsik and his Dyson

So I am that kind of persons who love to have spotless house. I really appreciate a good vacuum cleaner. I think everyone should consider buying a vacuum cleaner like an investment. Clean house > Clean air > Healthy life!!! (no more medicine bills).

There’s no point really spent on cheap vacuum, which could last only for about a year or two. Seriously if you pay around $100, it won’t last long… or dust just spreads everywhere. I’ve got a sensitive nose. I don’t want to get a hay fever every time I clean my own house.

When I was going to move to my own place with my sister. We were looking to get our own vacuum cleaner since we had been sharing with my old housemate. Anyway, as you know, I’ve been very picky. Dyson was my choice but my sister was going insane when she knows the price (around $700 to $2000, it’s not that much, isn’t?).

In the end, we got Nilfsik Action Plus!!! I am completely happy with it. Nearly half a year, haven’t even changed the bag yet. I haven’t been sneezing while vacuuming^^ I can see it picks up all the dirt. The price is good too. It was a good deal from MYER. (Seriously, I wouldn’t recommend to go to Good Guys, what on their mind just KA-CHing!!! Don’t trust what they say).

Anyway, I spotted a Dyson at his place 0_0 !!! I could see it was lying there on the dining room with a shining light sighhhhh… (But yea I managed to hold my self not to blabber about my obsessiveness about Dyson. I don't want him to think that I am a lunatic or somekind :P) But then, when he was at my house, he spotted my Nilfsik vacuum. He was actually make fun of my Nilfsik over his Dyson. So there you go… I completely lost my self and told him the whole thing about vacuum cleaner. But yea, he believe in Dyson as much as I do :P Glad we have the same understanding^^

So if any boys reading this post, remember, Dyson gets girl!!!

Image from the hottest calendar Porn for Women 2009 Wall Calendar from Cambridge Women published by Chronicles Books. Click here to get your own or a christmas gift for your gf :P (I am going to get one). Gosh, it will look super HOT if I could see my (future) bf posed like this (with Dyson, of course!!!)

You should check this one too, Porn for New Moms. Excellent gift for baby shower giggles… It’s really sweet :) For fun :P check your pornometer here :P

SPOT IT ON!

I recently spotted this Innovation Entrepreneur book at work, when my work friend needed to do a marketing brochure. It's a book designed by Wiley in the UK. We were admiring the circles that it actually looks quite unique. Then, later at night I found this Idea Spotting by Sam Harisson.

I am not so sure how Sam Harisson's book supposed to help, but I guess it does work! One of the exercises that he recommends to get the creativity started is to Be a Borrower. He said the next big idea is out there you just need to know how to spot it on. I found some of the excerpt from How magazine blog, which you can read in here.

I am pretty sure that the designer who designed the book spotted this Idea Spotting book somewhere or he/she even have the book on his/her desk. It is our nature as designers to be inspired by our surrounding. So I won't question the similarity between both books any further. Also. I still liking the overall looks of the book cover. It gives some colour in the boring business books cover. And definitely the designer have done much better job than the US edition (that I can't barely stand to posted in here).

Then again, it gives me enough reasons to check the Idea Spotting book on the weekend. The review on amazon wasn't bad either.

My magnificent love book

…yea, I have the book now and with her personalized signature special for me. How’s that sounds ??!! I’ve never had any book with the author signature before. My boyfriend gave it to me when he went down to Melbourne. He got a chance to meet April Magenta at a designer market festival. The gift was so perfect, something that I wouldn’t expect. Now this little nice book is sitting on my cupboard (read more about the book in April archive), keep them save^^ Yea, I should blog about it when I got it right away. So many excited things happened during that time. No time for blogging >_<

I had a part-time design job for about a month. Just giving me enough money for portfolio expenses. The job wasn’t great design job, but it does makes me learn to work reaaall FAST. The person whom I worked with is really nice and energetic. She has loud and open personality. We could exchange idea in a snap. It is so fantastic that we could just work really well, although we just met. She has 3 years old daughter, really sweet girl. Met her only twice but she always very enthusiastic to see me.

Now, it just a month plus away until the end of semester, the end of my honours T_T I was thinking to get a new job, still linger for more money. Nevertheless, it’s the last chance for me to get done my honours correctly. So, yea seems that I have more flexible schedule which is quite bad. It makes me not that discipline to stick to my own schedule