Explorer
The Process
This is my process for conceptualizing, writing, illustrating, and designing a children's book titled Journey to the Deep Sea and its parent brand, Explorer.
My Process
Finding a concept
I knew from the get go that I wanted to create a book for my senior capstone. But I also knew I wanted it to be more than just a book. Looked at all sorts of books, especially picture books and comics. Then I took a look at how books marketed themselves. By looking at books like A Very Hungry Caterpillar, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, I got ideas about book branding and marketing.
So many choices
Before I could start, I had to make an important decision. What will my book be about?
​
I had all sorts of ideas. I went back and forth on fiction or nonfiction, and did hours of character sketches trying to find the perfect topic.
The style
After deciding I wanted to create a non-fiction book, I still needed to decide on a specific topic. I actually decided on a style before I solidifying my content! As I came up with characters sketches, I found that I really liked a chalk pastel look for the illustrations. I rendered a few concepts on my iPad using this style.
The deep sea?
After a lot of considerations, and some helpful inspiration from my peers, I settled on the deep sea as my book's topic. Why? Because the deep sea is inherently a scary place. It's dark, the animals can be horrifying and massive, and it's mostly a mystery. Making it an approachable, cute and friendly environment would be a challenge, and I wanted to take on a challenge.
Drawing Timelapse
Though they took a long time, the illustrations were the easy part of the process. The real challenge was finding the right words.
​
First of all, there was more research to be done. I knew general knowledge about the creatures I drew, but I had to find specific facts that the audience would find interesting. I also had to find a way to make these facts catchy and easy to read.
After a lot of consideration, I decided a rhyme scheme would be the best option. It would provide important information while remaining entertaining to my target audience.
Finding
the right
words
To the right is a time lapse of my initial text attempts. I tried out a number of styles in terms of both verbiage and in terms of aesthetic.
Luckily, I have people in my life who are talented writers, and they offered to edit my writing. With their help, I came up with a fun rhyme scheme filled with facts that kids will enjoy.
​
The task then was to blend the text with the imagery. As seen above, I tried hand drawn text, but it didn't feel right. I finally settled on DINosaur for my body copy. I pulled colors from the images, and played with scale to make the words pop and to make them engaging.
Putting it
together
Mocking the book up was the final touch. It made everything finally feel put together and complete. I also ordered a physical book through blurb. Holding the final book in my hands was the perfect way to wrap up the physical book element of this project. However, there was still much to do.
Coming to life
With the book o the way, I had to move on to the next brand element. What better way to inspire interest in the deep sea than adorable plushie companions? I brought three of my characters to life: the yellow dumbo octopus, the giant manta ray, and the oarfish.
Using materials from Joanne's Fabric, I got to work on creating my deep-sea plushies (with the help of some of my sewing-savvy family members). I really think that this physical element is an important addition to Explorer's brand as a whole. It brings both the characters and the concept into a tangible thing.
The App
Then it was time for the app, a crucial part of my capstone project. The Explorer app element is meant to compliment Explorer's books. Every book comes with an access code found on the back beneath a sticker. Families can link the access code to their apps.
Establishing
the brand
I wanted this publishing company to be about learning about new places, creatures, and times. As I explained my concept to people, I often found myself using the word "explore". So, I began sketching out the word explorer, trying to make it feel playful but professional. Soon, I had a sketch that I enjoyed: an "e" with a wavy bar, sketched in green and blue.
Type tests
I tried out a number of fonts, including Kefa, Josefin Slab, Helvetica, Phoreus Cherokee, and any others. Ultimately, I was choosing between two fonts: DINosaur and Kefa. In the end I choose DINosaur as my primary brand font. It's a fun, easy-to-read typeface that paired well with my logo, which also uses the typeface as a base. Plus, it has the perfect name for a brand all about exploring.
Solidifying
the brand
The brand needed to be consistent. It also needed to be playful and fun, bur also professional. With a solid logo that I was happy with, I went ahead and sorted out the other aspects of the brand. I decided on three primary colors, with secondary colors pulled straight from the illustrations. I also decided to keep the typeface selection simple. DINosaur was used for the book copy and headlines. DIN Alternate Bold was used for body copy and other small type, especially on the mobile app.
