Setting the Stage Process Book Sept 13–Oct 4, 2018 Lily Greenwald
“I like good strong words that mean something…” -Louisa May Alcott
Immediately when I recieved this assignment sheet I was a little scared. Three dimensions is intimadating. However, once I began researching, I discovered that I could make a great cover that is both visually interesting and rather reasonable to create. Many of my ideas involved very specific parts of the novel that I found most interesting. For example, the ink symbolizing Jo’s writing, the hair being cut referring to when Jo cut her hair to pay for her mom’s trip to visit her sick dad, the pickled limes calling to when Amy brought them to school and got in trouble, or a piano for Beth. Two ideas that were more broad and could represent the entire novel were the embroidery circle and the ribbons. I thought learning how to sew and then constantly re-sewing the letters to make them just right might be tedious and would end up unsuccessful. So, I continued with the ribbon idea. I also tested out the piano idea to some degree.
“Let us be elegant or die!� -Louisa May Alcott
Without the time to find a piano or find sheet music, I made a photoshoped version of my vision of using the piano as my medium. I discovered that piano is overwhelming the title and author is lost in translation. Ideas were thrown around ab out manipulating the keys of the piano or something else that would have the piano spell out the words instead of just placing them on the stand. In the end, my attempts with the ribbon although not yet perfected, seemed like a more reasonable and accurate choice. With the help of double sided tape, I was able to work with the ribbon and get better with each iteration. Additionally, I had to find a way to not only think about the title of the piece but start thinking about the jacket as a whole. What type face would I use? What information should be included? Will there be a background? What colors will be used? The answers to these questions were still being changed up until the final iteration.
“...for love casts out fear, and gratitude can conquer pride.� -Louisa May Alcott
My book jacket was coming together but a couple of things needed to be worked out. One, I needed to figure out a more successful background. The white gave a nice contrast for the ribbon to stand out, but it seemed kind of empty. If I was going to continue the ribbon throughout the whole jacket, I need to do it in a more organized and considered way so that everything had its place on the page. However, I wanted the ribbon in the title to stand out so I was trying to look for other options that would allow for that. Another thing that needed some more iterating was how the ribbons were formed. They weren’t quite perfect yet. I needed to strictly base the letterform on something that already existed so I had some direction and foundation. It took a good amount of time, different ribbon, and a lot of little movements and positioning. In the end, the difference between my first and last attempts is enormous and it truly shows my mastering in ribbon lettering.
“Watch and pray, dear, never get tired of trying, and never think it is impossible to conquer your fault.� -Louisa May Alcott
The background of the jacket was the main concern throughout the enite process. What spoke to the theme that I was referring to with the ribbons without overwhelming the page. How do I make sure there is a spot for all the information I must include? Does the background determine those spots? I started experimenting with textures beside ribbon. The first, was a cotten shirt. The shirt was white but I thought it might be more interesting if it were pink. Unfortunately, the shirt looked more like a sheet and suggested sexual connotations. I moved on to doilies. When I placed the image of doilies behind the ribbon letter I had a strong feeling I had finally discovered what my background was. It took some manuvering, as with the ribbon, to get the doilies exactly how I wanted them. Since the ribbon was no longer there to physically connect the parts of the jacket together, I decided to create a circle motif that would be repeated throughout, in the images, the doilies and, of course, the appearance of the button. In the end, I am proudest of my ribbon work and since it’s on the cover and spine it is what the eye of the costumer will be drawn to.