Today’s high school history textbooks are outdated and tend to bore students which in turn lowers productivity and grades. Here is my take on the chapter opener and first spread of a modern history textbook for high schoolers.
Ideation
Ideation began with a very basic mood board. I first decided on fonts, and driving photography, as that was the direction I wanted the project to go in. I then found examples of large, dynamic and dramatic typography contrasted with very thin, yet detailed iconography. After choosing all of these, I pulled my main color palette from my photo - the one of the Native American.
After that, I began work on my opening spread. I wanted it to be dramatic and eye-catching, similar to a movie poster. I also wanted the photography to be very nature-driven and beautiful. My overall goal with this project was to try things in design I wasn’t necessarily comfortable with and that weren’t my strong suits - like photo manipulation. I also chose two modern typefaces that I normally tend to stray from.
Deliverables
For final deliverables, we had to display this textbook design printed as well as in a digitally responsive version across at least two platforms.
