Crafting a book’s style
What’s in the Video?
An author might write the words and an illustrator draw the pictures – but who puts all those things together? That would be the job of a book designer! In this lesson, you’ll get to know the creative whizzes who make the covers and text in a book really POP.
Video Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:21 Meet the creators
01:13 Elements of a book design
04:17 How a book design can make a difference
05:50 How to add our personality to our book design
07:31 Final words of advice
08:22 Here’s what we’ve learned
Learning Intentions
LEARNING INTENTIONS:
1. Learning about the elements of book design.
2. Learning how a design brief works.
3. Learning about communicating creative ideas clearly.
SUCCESS CRITERIA:
1. Identify some elements of book design and their function.
2. Demonstrated understanding of the design process and design elements through a cover idea based on information provided.
Discussion Questions
PRE-VIDEO:
Think about the last book you picked up because you ‘liked the look of it’. Why did you choose that book? Was it something on the cover that caught your eye?
Think about the last book you read. Hold it, if you have it handy.
What do you notice about the cover? What sorts of things are on it?
What do you notice about the spine? What about the back cover? What do you find on those?
Open the book. What do you notice about the inside pages?
How do you think these things – the cover, the words and pictures on the inside, the spine – get made? Who do you think is responsible for making them?
POST VIDEO:
Campbell said that with good book design, the physical look of the book in your hand should ‘match the story it’s telling’. What do you think he means by this?
Campbell and Anna then both talked about some of the ELEMENTS of book design that can be used to make this happen. Do you remember what some of these elements were? (NB – Illustrations, Fonts or Typography, Hand Lettering, Format, Paper, Cover, Layout, White Space).
Can you explain what each of these elements are?
Can you remember the examples of these things that Campbell and Anna showed in their books?
Can you think of any examples from books that you have read where these design elements have been used in interesting ways?
Anna talked about how important book design is to our reading experience. And she showed an example from her book, ‘Who’s Afraid of the Light?’. What design problem did she have with this book? How did she solve that problem?
Do you think ‘bad’ design could affect your reading experience? How?
Campbell said that elements of good book design should ‘give the reader the right feeling’, for example, a scary book should perhaps have a font that is jagged and spooky. Can you think of any other examples from books you know, where design elements have been used to give you the right ‘feel’ for the story?
Curriculum Links
Australian Curriculum V9.0 Links
ENGLISH Y3-4
Language:
● Language for expressing and developing ideas: AC9E3LA09, AC9E4LA10
Literature:
● Engaging with and responding to literature: AC9E3LE02, AC9E4LE02,
● Examining literature: AC9E3LE03, AC9E4LE03
Literacy:
● Analysing, interpreting and evaluating: AC9E3LY03, AC9E4LY03, AC9E3LY05,
AC9E4LY05
● Creating texts: AC9E3LY06, AC9E4LY06
VISUAL ARTS Y3-4
● Creating and making: AC9AVA4C01
GENERAL CAPABILITIES
LITERACY
Reading and Viewing:
● Understanding texts: Comprehension Level 5-6
CREATIVE AND CRITICAL THINKING
Analysing:
● Draw conclusions and provide reasons: Level 3
Generating:
● Create possibilities: Level 3
Reflecting
● Transfer knowledge: Level 3
CREATORS
Resources
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