BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Heart of
Darkness
A House of Illustration competition brief.
A closer look at the illustrations and drawn elements
The brief required me to create a special edition book cover and a couple of full-page internal images. The images I created are bold and graphic, which helps to bring the novel into a more contemporary and modern era.
The bold yellow is a reference to Marlow and his crew being in the 'yellow' of the Congo River, while the rest of the platte was inspired by traditional African art and sculpture. Textures used in these images create a grunge feel hinting at the darker themes of the novel.
Final Design
Initially, I developed three visual concepts: two traditional and one playful. I refined the playful avenue into Blue Elephant Tea.
I used hand painted and drawn elements to add to the organic feel of this brand. I think it pairs well with the quirkiness of the illustration style.