Sunday, September 19, 2010

Elephant Planner

My roommate bought this planner recently from Barnes and Noble. It is from the Silver Lining brand, although I couldn't find the illustrator's name. I thought this whimsical cover was cute, and appropriate for a casual book such as a planner. 

The elephants are fun to look at because they have different patterns and colors on them. I like how the elephants are outlined, and how everything is simple line work, pretty much like a doodle. The rounded corners on the cover even mimic this curvy line work. The lines are flat, yet the different colors and patterns help give each elephant more of a dimension, which I think helps make them more interesting to look at. Also, the confetti and tear drop shapes make it seem like a parade, which adds energy to the design. 

However, even though the elephants each have a different design, they are all linked by common colors and style. The color scheme is nice and calm, and the wire binding even fits in with this scheme. The greens and purples are calm yet still interesting. The composition is also helpful--some of the elephants fit together like puzzle pieces while others overlap. This also adds dimension. 

Even though these are fairly simple drawings, there is a lot of variety in color and texture so that the book does not become boring to look at (especially if you use a planner every day for a year).

3 comments:

  1. This is adorable and it really stands out from the other basic day planners that most people buy. I love the amount of detail that's been added to the simple shapes of the elephants!

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  2. thank god for illustration on school supplies. otherwise i'm totally uninterested and would probably have to drag myself to the store to get stuff for school. i'm kind of still 6 years old. whatever. but that goes to show mayyybe possssssibly why we have such fun decorations on school supplies for kids (lisa frank folders, hello kitty backpacks, spider-man lunch boxes). makes kids get excited for school. the planner's really fun. i like elephants. and the details. and how it looks very hand-drawn because that gives it some character. makes me want to plan stuff in this planner.

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  3. Good post! I think it shows we can find illustrations all around us if we look closely.

    I'd like everyone to do a little more research each week as they choose what to blog about. Ask yourself some questions: For instance, who is the company that makes this planner? Do they have a website with other designs available? Does the company have contact info? What is the process for doing a drawing like this and have it end up on a planner?

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