In this session, I got to revise and display the process work for my bookmark and section pages. I reorganised the layers in my bookmark’s illustrator file, as well as make the last few finishing touches in order to make it look neater.

The illustrator file for my bookmark:

I categorised my layers according to three categories: the base rounded rectangles, the title, and the illustrations. I wanted my bookmark to represent and possess a similar illustration style and therefore, I planned on drawing a combination of icons and symbols that are representative of each civilisation I plan on recording in my book. I purposely added similar styles on the bookmark as I did on the jacket of my book, and a similar colour scheme too. I decided to limit it to two colours, only, because I wanted it to look minimalistic and not too flashy as this would diminish the jacket’s aesthetic. Therefore, my colour scheme was maroon and cream. I also made the typeface of the title the same on the bookmark so that the audience could easily associate it with the book. I also purposely put the borders as the recurring leaf patterns present on the jacket and within the pages of my book. the civilisations that my bookmark spans are: Chinese, Greek, Egyptian, Roman, Incan, Mayan, Aztec, Scandinavian and Mesopotamian.

While making my bookmark, I got to explore a lot of tools on illustrator, the primary tools I used were the shape tool, the brush tool and the type tool. While using the brush tool I got to experiment with the different opacities (even for my cover), to bring out different effects, and also different thicknesses. I got to isolating layers and working on them individually in order to stylise the appearance of my paths. I personally preferred working with the brush tool rather than the pen tool, because of its easy strokes and makes for faster movements.
I then went ahead and grouped the strokes of each icon for a clearer representation for my layers panel.

Layout of the book

I then began working on my section and index pages and layout, too, on my InDesign file. I plan on giving my book a minimalistic vibe and an art book style which consists of a lot of pictures and very little information. In the beginning it was tough for me to collate the abundance of the information I had, but then I decided to narrow it down to the important details and made it more like a graphic/interactive book. I also plan on giving my Index page icons next to each civilisation (by creating a sub text for civilisations) so instead of writing the title of it down on each page within the book, the icon or symbol will be able to speak for itself. I like this idea and think it is important to take forward and work with because it makes the book more interactive for the reader, they can subconsciously associate the information and pictures with the icon, and hence grasp the information easily.

As I explored the different tools in the softwares, my skills at creating books and working with the applications and tools became much better. I became adept at using these tools and got more confident and comfortable with them, understanding their uses and applications.