book design | the trouble with toodles
background
The Trouble with Toodles is a graphic novel about a dog born with a hefty dose of anxiety. He’s adopted by a loving family who have a young daughter also struggling with anxiety. The story unfolds with the anxious duo learning how to cope and comfort each other and themselves through humorous situations and heartfelt self discovery. The target audience is children ages 8-13 who love graphic novels.
design process
Using my own dog, Toodles, as inspiration I wanted to create a graphic novel dedicated to his idiosyncrasies. Using Adobe Illustrator I was able to create Toodles’ likeness from sketches I drew. Various color combinations were tried trying to find the right feel of the book. Placement of all the elements on the cover, spine, and back were scrutinized until just right.
design solution
Using a combination of Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign I was able to design this book from illustration to layout. The title, spine, and author is typeface Hobeaux in bold, and regular. A light blue was used for the background book cover. A deep purple/blue color, was used for the typeface fill, no stroke. The back cover dog bowl was created in Adobe Illustrator. The interior pages were designed with boxed to be filled with graphic art for the story, with a couple of text boxed (filled, stroked, and drop shadowed) using typeface Hanzipen SC. The chapter headings will have a stroke of the purple/blue and a gradient fill. The back cover synopsis typeface is clear, easy to read Acumin Variable Concept, regular.
