Roald Dahl Collection
packaging, illustration, animation
Art Direction: Scott Laserow
Introduction:
Growing up, I loved going to the children’s section of the library just to plop down on a beanbag (that was probably older than me) and flip through the endless pages of colorful illustrations. Those long afternoons spent in the library fueled my appreciation for children’s books and their worlds full of color, fantasy, and imagination.
Inspired by the vibrant, visual personalities of children’s book illustrations, I chose to redesign a series of book covers written by popular children’s book author, Roald Dahl, including James and the Giant Peach, The BFG, and Fantastic Mr. Fox. Drawn to the quirky nature of his characters, I approached my designs with vibrant color, playful illustration, and hand-done type to fully capture the whimsy of Dahl's stories and characters.
Early Sketches & Character Exploration:
Box Set Design:
Following the initial cover design process, my next step was to create packaging executed in an illustrative style consistent with the existing visual aesthetics of the set. For the face of the box set, I chose to illustrate a goofy, exaggerated portrait of Dahl which pictures him sillily balancing a stack of books on top of his head.
Augmented Reality (AR) Animation Process:
As the primary element within my augmented reality (AR) animation, the app, Artivive, can identify the illustration of Dahl and link it to its accompanying animation through the use of advanced image-recognition technology. The animation begins with Dahl trying to balance the teetering books on top of his head when the books topple down. After the books fall out of frame, they are dropped back onto his head in succession to form the perfect loop. With a combination of animated visuals and sound experimentation, I was able to successfully animate the box set cover with the same youthful and playful energy of the series preexisting design elements.
