I’ve been working on the design work commissioned by Yarra Valley Aviation. The first brief was to redesign a colour-in booklet featuring five aircraft used for the flying school (namely Victa Airtourer VH-ECI, Beechcraft Bonanza VH_FCT, Jabiru J160 24-7090, Piper Warrior II VH-BZA and Piper Archer III VH_RCR). The pre-existing design had a mix of hand-drawn illustrations and digital drawings, which gave an inconsistent look. The client was after the professional look as well as the level of clarity to the figures of the aircraft.
I began the design process by researching the appearances and the structure of aircraft. Each type had distinctive characteristics such as the form, so I considered the point of view that can portray the beauty of the aeroplane.
The design process on illustrator mainly consisted of tracing the photographs to capture the accurate proportion and the details that can create a sense of authenticity to the illustrations. Since the design is to be used for colouring in, I kept it a simple and clear line drawing so that a person can go crazy with colouring it in. After completing the illustrations, I considered the layout of the page, especially the relationship between the drawings and the aircraft names. Enlarging and locating the text behind of the aircraft drawings gave a dynamic sense of movement and the power. The drop shadow created a perception of depth to the layout.
While there was a potential to make it an educational booklet where children can learn about aircraft as they colour in illustrations, the client and I concluded that its purpose could be kept simple.
The colour-in booklet has been printed out and distributed to the local primary school students during the community activity and will be in the show bags for the upcoming airshow.
Saran Kim | Blog 