Category Archives: scale

Design is a Dandelion

20 May 2013

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by Janice Lovoos

{published 1966, by Golden Gate Junior Books}

I was in Seattle a few weeks ago. You remember the library, right?

I went to Pike Place Market, because of course, but also because flying fish and dudes in galoshes are a spectacle worth checking out. And I also wanted to get up close and personal with some bluefin tuna eyeballs.

There’s a real reason for that, trust me. But they didn’t have any tuna, so this happened: Screen Shot 2013-05-17 at 11.51.46 AM

There’s not a real point to that story except that I adore that tweet (and those two Favoriters) and it’s what I did just before I wandered into Lamplight Books.

It’s like I stole something. Fifteen dollars? Sixty quarters? It still has that magical, musty smell of hidden secrets. And it was mine in a fraction of a split second. That fast.

Because…behold:

 I’m in love. From the texture of a porcupine, to the form of mountains and weeds, to the repetition inside a squash, design is everywhere.

Design is a Dandelion ends like this, with truth and a charge:

Design is everywhere. It is for everyone. All you have to do is to learn to see it. Open your eyes and take a big, long look.

ch

Leo Geo And His Miraculous Journey Through The Center Of The Earth

7 January 2013

25 Comments

Hello and happy 2013 and welcome back to this little corner of the internet!

And a huge hello to those of you who hopped on board over the last couple weeks! It’s nice to have you.

Here’s an awesome and odd little book to kick off the new year:

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by Jon Chad

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I promise not to use bad puns like, “This book rocks!” or “Perfect for kids who don’t take science for granite!”

Much like another favorite, Sky High, Leo Geo uses size and scale in such an unusual way. Telling a story about a journey through the center of the earth calls for a different visual method than the standards we are used to.

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So flip it 90 degrees and read top to bottom. Of course! Its width (or lack thereof!) perfectly frames the skinny tunnels and canals through which our ‘surface man’ drills.

And just when you get to the center, flip it 180 degrees and read bottom to top as you emerge with him to the other side of the world.

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Throughout the entire journey, Leo Geo narrates his trip with a good healthy dose of science. You’ll get reminders of the difference between stalactites and stalagmites, what  makes up the continental and oceanic crusts, and how many miles you would have to travel before reaching the core.

Even though his voice is conversational and funny, every once in a while you might run into a Quadclops or find a magic dagger. I love that this book becomes a spectacular combination of nonfiction and comic book.

contrast

By using only black and white, the reader gets to fill in the blanks and let their imagination run wild. The contrast between the whites of the tunnels and the black hash marks of piles and piles of fossils provide a very satisfying balance. The art is so intricate that I imagine a young reader (or an old one!) could pore over these pages for hours.

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So yeah. This book rocks.

ch

This Is Not My Hat

17 October 2012

16 Comments

by Jon Klassen

So I love this book. Like, the “well, why don’t you marry it?!” kind of love.

I read it in June at the Candlewick Booth at ALA. The people were lining up to meet Gary Ross (Big! The Hunger Games! Seabiscuit, even!) and I was huddled over F and Gs of this book with my friend, Dianne de Las Casas. We giggled and poked and and pointed and just delighted over this thing.

And then in August at the SCBWI Illlustrator’s Intensive, Jon Klassen shared an earlier draft of this book. It had a different title, different characters, but the same charm and an even more wicked sense of humor.

It was like I had run away with the Hope Diamond and the Smithsonian security guards just nodded and let me escape. (Ask me about the time my dad chaperoned the 5th grade field trip and one of the boys smuggled a whoopee cushion into the Natural History museum.)

Anyway. Seeing his process was capital UNREAL.

A fish. A stolen hat. A sleeper. Awakes. A chase. A resolution?

Jon Klassen’s art is both dazzling and understated. This book, like I Want My Hat Back, has a desaturated and limited color palette. But here, the black and white helps tell this stark story.

The gutter separates the white space for the text from the black of the ocean depths. Or on a spread dominated by the deep, the text is bound to a crisp horizontal stripe at the top.

And the characters themselves are quite a different pair. The massive victim fish that quietly exacts revenge contrasts the tiny, hat-stealing, filmflammy fish.

Would the story be as fantastic if their size was more similar or if the colors were not so vastly different?

Knowing Jon Klassen, probably. But do those decisions perfect this book? Absolutely.

Check out this hysterical interview with Jon Klassen over at Travis Jonkers’ blog, 100 Scope Notes. And this post, from the Horn Book’s Calling Caldecott blog, written by Lolly Robinson. Both of these blogs should take up residence in your mess of bookmarks, by the way! Always smart, always impeccable taste.

And the trailer! Mesmerizing.

Boy + Bot

4 June 2012

6 Comments

words by Ame Dyckman + pictures by Dan Yaccarino

{Why yes, they ARE a match made in heaven!}

Boy + Bot is an endearing tale of friendship between a charming and unlikely duo. Their generosities to one another when the other is broken will turn you into a puddle awwwww mush on the floor.

The #spotbot crew on Twitter is probably still mopping themselves up. We ADORE this book. And darn if Ame Dyckman isn’t the most likable gal at the party!

In design, size can be used to give extra weight or value to one element versus another. If shapes on a page are too uniform in size, they compete for your attention. Think of a checkerboard. Which square do you look at? But think of the American flag. The long stripes and the smaller stars differ in size and scale, and your eye can move around that icon a bit more freely and with less confusion.

So small Boy and his much larger Bot create a dynamic duo. Boy’s bitty-ness and Bot’s bigger-ness gives an interesting visual edge to their friendship. Sure, this is slightly different than a true graphic design principle at work, but the same idea feels really satisfying in their characterization. Even on the cover, the word Boy and the word Bot nod to their sizes by using different weights of the same typeface.

Their kooky friendship fits perfectly into this comic or storyboarded style of layout. Note even here, the different sizes of illustrations on one spread.

This might be one of my favorite back covers ever. I do love the reflection, {found on this cover as well,} but come on….the barcode on Bot’s behind? Impossible not to love. Enjoy this one with your BFF.

Will you love it? “AFFIRMATIVE!”

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Hippopposites

15 May 2012

13 Comments

This book is lame.

You absolutely do not want to add it to your library.

I am not one single bit of a goofball.

Wait, what?

by Janik Coat

Opposite Day, clearly.

But really? This book is SO AMAZING I WANT TO SHOUT OUT FROM THIS DUSTY VALLEY AND GO PET A HIPPO! AND KEEP SCREAMING! It’s cool to carry a board book around with your wallet and lipstick and iPhone right? Even when you have no kids?!

So this delightful little board book has a big concept, and that alone shouts contrast. Contrast just-plain-old refers to when two elements are different. Each spread of Hippopposites showcases two things that are opposites, beginning with small and large.

Too obvious? How about full and empty?

Or opaque and transparent?

And a tactile soft and rough.

My jaw dropped when I saw the very clever front and side. {No spoiler. Trust me on this one.}

I probably overuse the word ‘brilliant’ on this blog, but seriously…this just is. The bulbous red hippo with his two beady black eyes has zest and a dazzling personality. He’s a charmer. And irresistible. {Definitely not opposite descriptions.}

You definitely do not want this book.

What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?

14 March 2012

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by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

This is one of those books that was constantly checked out of my little library in Virginia. How can you blame the kids? The cover is both creepy-crawly and funny, and the guts of this book are filled to the brim with pictures and facts about animals and their body parts. {And, any book that has something called a blue-footed booby inside is sure to be a winner. Trust me.} Not to mention that pretty silver Caldecott Honor Medal on the front…I wonder if Steve Jenkins willed himself a Caldecott by mimicking a circle in that scaly tail? A stretch? Maybe, but all those circles sure do look nice.

I know better, but it is IMPOSSIBLE to read this book without wanting to touch the pages and feel the roughness and texture of the collaged paper. The texture of the animals creates enormous contrast with the stark white of the rest of the page. These animals will absolutely jump off the page if you’re not careful. Their texture gives them such vibrance and life.

And just like in Actual Size, Steve Jenkins uses size (duh…) masterfully to create contrast. This makes for incredibly exciting page turns. On each question page, the animals’ body part is seen up close, and on the page where the answers are explained, we have zoomed out to see each entire animal. The playfulness in using size both furthers the story and provides great visual interest. Caldecott well deserved, I’d say.

But. One of his layout choices makes reading this book extra fun, and that element is Line.

The text is connected to its appropriate animal in a meaningful (and sometimes especially cute) way. It could have been easy to lay down the text in a center justified block next to each animal. The same information would get into the brain of the reader, sure. Instead though, the text exists in a space that is relevant to its particular animal. The horned lizard who squirts blood out of his eyes has, well, text squirting out of his eyes. And the skunk, who lifts his tail to spray his stink, sprays out text instead.

And that’s the beauty of this book! The pictures are gorgeous, the space left behind is intentional, and the information in the text is visually relevant to its accompanying image.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

14 February 2012

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It’s no secret how this story ends. You’ve heard it a million times. But have you ever seen look this remarkable?

Jeremy Holmes is the graphic designer behind this book, and it’s so much fun to hold.

It’s tall and thin, so even before you get to the story, you are already experiencing this book in such a fresh way. This book showcases many elements of design beautifully, but I would consider size one of the highlights because it is so immediately striking.

The middle third of the book contains the pages of the story, so the entire story is framed by the little old lady’s spindly stocking feet and all knowing eyes. And again, you know how her story ends, right? At the close of the last page, her eyes shut as well. Kinda ingenious.

Jeremy Holmes’ collages are both warm and kooky thanks to his textures and color palette. His imagination tells a familiar story in a fresh way. And it’s just plain fun to hold this book, turn the pages, and even laugh at her untimely end.

Love the shout out on the back cover to book design as well as illustration!

{This trailer is a tad slow and perhaps even creepy, but it’s a really lovely look at some of Holmes’ illustrations in There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.}

LMNO Peas

10 January 2012

7 Comments

LMNO Peas by Keith Baker is a clever and fun romp through the alphabet. But these are no mushy boring peas; each one is busy and has a very specific job to do.

The  A peas are acrobats, the  I’s are inventors, and the P peas are painters, poets, and plumbers.

Even though it’s a fast paced read, be sure to take your time through the pictures. Little gems are tucked away across each of the spreads. Have you ever wondered what a pea looks like while doing yoga? {They smile and wear sweatbands.} What do peas search for down in the mines? {Diamonds and…ladybugs.}

The bustling peas are in stark contrast to the giant letters which they represent. It’s a perfect illustration of size as a design element. Size refers to the relationships of one shape to others in the same composition. The greater the difference in size, the greater the visual interest of a composition. If the peas and their letters were roughly the same size, you would be unsure where to look; all of the elements would be competing for your attention. Instead, there is a huge (literally!) difference between the size of the letter and the size of the peas.

The bold letters loom large on the page in bright, textured colors. Though small, the peas are not lost in the composition at all. Each spread is dynamic and interesting, and because of that, your eye meanders through the elements to explore and breathe it all in.

LMNO Peas is successful for many other reasons, but Keith Baker’s mastery of the element of size is to be commended. And how appropriate, because peas are so bitty and tiny?! They may be little, but they pack a big punch.

Just look out for the outlaw peas. They are hanging out in the bottom corner and taking all your money. You’ve been warned.

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Bee & Bird

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Bee & Bird by the delightful Craig Frazier is a surprising and grin-inducing read. Every time. And each time may be a different read for you depending on the perspective you take and the story you see.

Intrigued?

You should be.

Bee & Bird is a bright and bold wordless picture book. Each illustration is a tightly framed snippet of a larger action. Page by page, your job is to fill in the blanks, to predict, to wonder, and to enjoy.

ELEMENT OF DESIGN: UNITY

Unity refers to the whole of a design being more important and cohesive than any of its individual parts. Each separate element (or illustration) stands alone satisfactorily and beautifully, but the experience as a whole is extra special. The similarly toned colors, the lines and shapes in backgrounds and textures, and the different perspectives {note the boundary-pushing use of scale and size} on each page all contribute to the unity of Bee & Bird’s design.

Graphically, these pictures are loud and striking  -a perfect accompaniment to the unexpected journey of this bee and bird. So, so crisp and inviting and full of oomph. {A very technical graphic design term; do not argue with this teacher!}

And they holler out to the reader {YOU!} to come on over, pull up a chair, and get involved on this trip.

Enjoy!

Pomelo Begins To Grow

19 December 2011

5 Comments

December is pulling a disappearing act. Please slow down, December. I haven’t had enough eggnog yet.

Still looking for a few books to slide under the tree? This one, illustrated by Benjamin Chaud and written by Ramona Badescu, is so pretty that you won’t even need wrapping paper.

As Pomelo went on his way one morning, he passed an ant, some potatoes, a pebble, a bunch of strawberries and his favorite dandelion.

Curiously enough, his dandelion seemed surprisingly small.

If the name Pomelo isn’t enough to instantly entice you to read, how about his elephant-ness? Yes? With a long, skinny, tape-measure trunk? He’s adorable. And growing.

Pomelo is quite worried about whether he will grow evenly all over. Or if he will turn big and gray and wrinkly.

And whether or not he will still just be a plain old kid.

The illustrations float a delicate line between restrained and fantastical, but each spread is equally inviting. Perhaps they even forgive an egregious grammar error? {Because Pomelo Begins To Grow was originally written in French, some of the wording may have been lost in translation. Hopefully this gets fixed on the next edition? It’s so lovely, that it would be a shame to not perfect it.}

ELEMENT OF DESIGN: SIZE

Size refers to the bigness and smallness of various objects. {Duh.} But in design, elements of equal size create confusion on a page, because your eye jumps around awkwardly and is not not sure where to land. Pairing items of different sizes within a composition yields a more dynamic piece. The pages of Pomelo Begins To Grow play with size differences in a quirky manner, a design choice that makes sense due to the growth and the quest of our hero.

But.

The greatest moment for size doesn’t even happen in the story. Behold: the endpapers.

{Insert sweet Pomelo’s story here.}

Very clever and very much why I love how design frames picture books. These endpapers summarize an already snappy story visually and quickly. A one-two punch of pretty.

Boom.