In addition to the silhouette page which I have developed in the previous posts, I decided to make the page beside this so that the design would be a double page spread. As the page before it incorporated a heavy black aesthetic I continued this onto this page too, however, keeping it more simplistic so that it wasn’t too overpowering. Instead of the majority of the page denoting the blue, sea background I chose to use the black because it creates mystery and represents the contentious subject that I am illustrating, as well as it still being interesting in visual terms.
Within the darkness I illustrated a pair of eyes. This was a conscious choice because the narrative says “away from peeking eyes” but I also thought that it could slightly break up the dense black too. When illustrating the eyes I made the choice to have them in a red/orange tone because red eyes are stereotypically associated with evil, plus this was the only component of this colour so it made them stand out even further; especially against the black background.
From the typography on this page I went back a step to change it all together so that it was easier to read. I prefer how it reads when it is laid out like, but I still fell like the readability is an issue for the demographic and they may struggle to read it. However, with this composition it is better and the narrative flows, plus I like how they are all in the same aesthetic. Until I choose a sans-serif type face that is appropriate for this audience I will continue to use this font for the purposes of development because it is still in-keeping with the illustrations.
As per the point which I made for the last page, I also developed this type to flow in one single line too. This is because it reads better, left to right just like the type should be for the english language which is my target audience. It also flows with the illustration of the background. Thus, as I continue to develop the typography and finalise a sans-serif type face I will continue to use this, but I acknowledge that it isn’t suitable for the age of the target audience. I will also continue with the remaining pages of the children’s book to develop a consistent aesthetic. But so far I am pleased with how my book is developing and I am learning a lot as I progress.