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| Student Tom Game's final prototype designs showing print and possible interactive applications. |
Final year design students from the University of Worcester have been working on a book design brief for children's authors and educators Gyles Morris and John Cook of Naturesbase in West Wales.
The students were asked to research and develop graphical solutions to help create a children's activity book that helped them engage better with the outdoors. The book's idea came about in part as a response to 'Nature Deficit Disorder' - which seeks to better understand and help offset the trend of children getting less and less time to appreciate the outdoors. The National Trust are already working in this area at some of their own heritage properties with their '50 Things to do Before You're 11 3/4' project. Gyles and John aim to develop an activity book that both helps children to better engage and learn about the outdoors - taking further their existing work with school groups in the UK and abroad.
Client John explains:
"The (student supporting blogs) were fascinating and gave a wonderful insight into the creativity, detail, rigour and analysis that was behind the various responses to the project design. My congratulations to all concerned!" Student Tom Game's ideas were highlighted as particularly effective solutions and John adds: "Tom Game's work is appealing and I like his consideration for an accompanying app too. He has also clearly researched and come up with good activities for involving younger children alongside their parents ..... I can't wait to go outside to count the spots on a ladybird with my three year old grandson to see if there will be more or less than three!!!! Some of the old ideas stand the pace of time and as with creating numbers on snails they need to be "reinvented"!
Illustration student Felicity Taylor says of her experiences working towards the book concepts:
“This module and project has both widened my knowledge and introduced me to key considerations in children’s picture book design and has enabled me to understand why they are so important… I have enjoyed this module immensely and feel that with the areas learned I will be able to take forward in my illustrative practise and build on this in the future.”
Gyles and John tied-up with Graphic Design students on the Children's Book Design module at the University of Worcester to help them develop prototype ideas for their new book. Successful designs will be considered to take further to fruition as a final book and some students will be offered a chance to help with this should they wish.
Ref links:
National Trust '50 Things to do before you're 11 3/4'
https://www.50things.org.uk/
Naturesbase
http://www.naturesbaseschoolcamp.co.uk/
Nature Deficit Disorder
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17495032
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