For this assignment, I really wanted to try to capture some of the article’s original imagery because I thought it was really strong. The final version of this assignment was inspired by this line: ““Branding” is a fitting word for this work, as it underlines what the millennial self becomes: a product.”
I decided this sketch was the strongest of my three mockups. It was not only fairly unique and clever, but spoke directly to the article. I thought that one could get a sense of what the article was speaking about before reading the actual article.
Although there are parts of the illustration that I think are working well, there are also aspects that I would go back and fix if I weren’t so burnt out myself! I think the color palette is cohesive and does speak to millennials’ style. I like the piece as a stand-alone illustration, especially after going back in and adding some depth to it. However, I don’t know if it works on a smaller scale. I think some of the details get lost in the mock-up files.
Overall, I am happy with this work as a first attempt at editorial illustration. I stretched myself conceptually quite a bit. If it were for a real client, however, I would feel very differently about the outcome.
Sam here. Cate, it’s a great idea! You’re right that the details might get lost at a smaller scale, so maybe carving out some more time to explore this would have yielded a creative solution (like making the doll boxes skinnier, and maybe shown at a perspective, so you see lots of them in a row, with the MILLENNIAL text down the sides of the boxes or something, hm…. Would love to see some spot illustrations too.