This booklet was put together during my sophomore year at Cornish College of the Arts. Using copy produced by Reverb magazine, I designed and produced this brief timeline of the electric violin.
Research
After analyzing Reverb's content, I dove deeper into important moments in the electric violin's history. I wanted to create a story rather than a timeline, so I found images and anecdotal content to support the text in a narrative fashion.
The first electric violins date back to the 1940's, but were popularized during the 50's and onward. I chose a retro illustration style in emphasis of their origin.
Process
I began by designing simple elements to add dimension to the text. I started experimenting with textures and forms that would emulate 50's illustration trends and screen printing techniques. After determining my texture swatches I began developing a shape language to ground my graphics.
The final version features modular shapes which emulate the shape of the chinrest on the violin—an element that ties every generation of the instrument together.
Next, I started sketching out the cover elements. I knew I wanted a character to hold a violin running across the page, so I started experimenting with different styles.
The last step in my process was to create the cover. I went through several rounds of selection between varying color schemes. These were the top two.
Production
After a series of tests, I came to like the contrast of yellow provided in print. The final book came to 24 pages and was printed on fine tooth paper, bound by saddle stitch.
