Drop
Cap Series:
Covers inspired by children’s books
The overall concept of the project is to focus on a drop cap, in this case using the first letter of the book title. Instead of manipulating the letter itself I wanted to explore having the letter on something relating to the contents of the series.
Deliverables
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Cover
BabyMouse Cover
Junie B. Jones Cover
Programs Used
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
What is a Drop Cap
According to Lenovo, a “Drop cap is a typographic feature commonly used in publishing to enhance the visual appeal of text. It involves enlarging the initial letter of a paragraph, often extending it into the lines below.”
Artist Jessica Hische is a lettering artist who shows the Drop Cap idea as a more individual letter on a book cover in the Penguin Cap Series. This series Hitche intricately illustrates a decorative letter, being the first letter of the author’s last name, for every letter of the alphabet.
My Process
Used the first letter of the book title to lend more to the theme of the series
Thought of many different variations such as the letter on something, the letter manipulated to be the character, or the letter as a drawing
Chose the overall theme of having the letter on an object that is related to the series
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Diary of a Wimpy Kid follows middle-schooler Greg Heffley as he humorously navigates the struggles of school, family, and friendship through his illustrated diary.
I integrated the D onto a piece of notebook paper along with a +, showing the theme of school.
Babymouse
Babymouse follows a spirited mouse with a big imagination as she navigates school, friendships, and everyday adventures.
I integrated the B onto a black bow, similar to the iconic bow that Babymouse wears throughout the series.
Junie B. Jones
I integrated the J onto a golden star sticker. Since Junie is in kindergarten, it is common to get a gold star as a reward for good behavior. However, I made the sticker start to peel up to show how she didn’t always get the star due to her rebellion
Junie B. Jones follows a lively and outspoken kindergartener as she navigates the ups and downs of school and growing up.
Final Thoughts
What I learned from this project, was how to use key elements/layouts throughout a series. I also learned more about type layout and the balance between filling or embracing negative space.