FINAL DESIGNS

F A U X   B O O K S

I decided to go further with the book concept and create full illustrated designs complete with blurbs from the archives, and edited to look scanned, as if they were physical books in the archives collection. Each 'book' features original illustrated covers with art styles to match the genre, complete with wear and tear of varying degree to add to the accuracy of each genre it correlates.


"The Secrets of Sidlaw" - Inspired by the Adventures of Tintin and the Famous Five 
The idea of children exploring the world around them as an adventure


"Sunnyside" - Inspired by controversial topics in pulp fiction novels
The concept of forbidden love, particularly when certain love was treated as a mental illness


"College" - Inspired not by a book, but by the College magazine, a student led publication from the early years of the Dundee University






IDEAS

 L I G H T B U L B   M O M E N T


Based on the concepts that came from the Sidlaw Industries poster I've moved to the idea that each poster could be a faux book cover, representing certain genres, and promoting the idea that the public should engage and 'read' into these archive collections.

  • Sidlaw Industries is to become a childrens adventure, similar to Tintin and the Famous Five (meaning it was essential to add a dog companion)
  • Sunnyside Asylum will be a romance drama, focusing on the controversial topics that were featured in pulp fiction novels
  • The College magazine, will remain as a magazine, with a pastiche of the modern photos taken of students to promote universities, cheesy smiles and typical campus photos


DEVELOPMENT

 T H E   W R O N G   D I R E C T I O N

Given the amount of old mills located in Dundee I thought an interesting concept would be to create a poster for Sidlaw Industries that was inspired by children's adventure/thriller, similar to Goosebumps and Goonies, with some children exploring the abandoned factories. 


The illustration turned out much too scary for the archives, with the colour scheme being closer to thriller than childrens adventure. A reset of the colours led to a style that had a larger similarity to childrens mystery books, such as the Adventures of Tintin and the Famous Five. With this initial focus on book genres leading to a lightbulb moment of a new direction for the project.




AN EXCITING COLLABORATION

 D U N D E E   U N I V E R S T I Y   A R C H I V E S

I've got the exciting opportunity to work with the Dundee University Archives on a series of posters to advertise their various collections to the public. We've decided on three main collections:

  • The University Records
  • The Local Collection
  • Tayside Health Board Records

Within these collections we chose specific areas of interest that could draw the public in, 

The University Records - Focusing on the College magazine, a student led publication

The Local Collection - Focusing on Sidlaw Industries, also known as Camperdown Works, a jute factory owned by the Cox brothers. At one point being the worlds largest jute works, it covered 30 acres with over 14,000 workers, a majority female

Tayside Health Board Records - Focusing on Sunnyside Royal Hospital, founded in 1781 as the Montrose Lunatic Asylum, a psychiatric hospital located in Hillside, Angus



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