Yuri Was Very Brave Children’s Book
About the project
This was a freelance project where I worked with an author, Jason Cranford-Teague to illustrate a children’s book he wrote, Yuri Was Very Brave. The two of us worked together to write, illustrate, fund and ship the books. We partnered with Mascot Books for printing purposes and to get our books on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, and other prominent online storefronts.
Client: Freelance
Role: Illustrator
Team: Author and Illustrator
Timeframe: 12 months for Illustration and Design
Goals
Reference Russian propaganda design as inspiration color and aesthetic.
Have a small image of Sputnik visible on each page to encourage children to find Sputnik on each page.
Ensure the visual style of the book communicates simply and easily to a target age group of 4-6 year olds.
Fund the book through kickstarter, and release a poster for backers.
Initial Design Concepts
Initial Visual Design Exploration
Initially, the author and I were drawn to a very vector-focused illustration style. This was reminiscent of modern mobile games we had both enjoyed playing. As we explored different visual treatments, both of Yuri and his environment, we found that none of these styles fit with the story we wanted to tell.
Visual Design Recalibration
We weren’t happy with the initial direction we were heading in, so we decided to take a step back and recalibrate. Yuri Gagarin’s spaceflight took place at the height of the cold war back when there was a lot of communist propaganda in circulation. As a result, we decided to pull colors and visual inspiration from this time period.
Initial Sketches
Once the author and I agreed upon using Russian Propaganda as our visual inspiration, we began to explore visual treatments through the form of thumbnail sketches. We also explored variations of Yuri, Sputnik, and Yuri’s Space Capsule with a focus on simplification to ensure we could communicate to children, while also paying homage to Russian Communist Propaganda.
Layout Sketches
Final Designs
Kickstarter Funding
Final Book
Poster for Kickstarter Backers
To learn more about my process, see additional workflows, and additional mock-ups please contact me!