Timeline

February - May 2023 (15 weeks)

Role

Solo Student Project

Character development

What do their designs convey in terms of emotion and personality?

Sakuya embodies conflicting desires between family duty and personal happiness due to her wealthy background and outside societal pressure. Her body language reflects her anxieties, and her dark design echoes the meaning of her name.

In contrast, Umeko represents positivity, offering a vibrant and cheerful presence in Sakuya's life. Umeko's free-spirited nature contrasts Sakuya's constrained upbringing as her vibrant and cheerful personality helps bring joy. Her flashy body language and color palette reflect the meaning of her name. Therefore, both characters' designs stand as opposites, highlighting their distinct personalities.

Umeko (梅子, plum blossom child)

Sakuya (桜夜, cherry blossom night)

Sakuya (left) and Umeko (right)

Building the world

In what ways does the environment contribute to the narrative and enrich the story?

"Blossoms in the Garden" is a story set primarily in Tokyo, Japan.

  • "Summer in Hakone" captures a vacation trip to the nearby Kanagawa prefecture with the summer weather, featuring Hakone Shrine's lakefront torii.

  • "A Symphony of Cherry Blossoms" symbolizes the blossoming of Sakuya and Umeko's feelings for each other during the spring season.

Together, these vibrant illustrations idealize the characters' world, bringing a sense of happiness, warmth, and beauty. It creates a contrast with the challenges and conflicts the characters face, emphasizing the emotional impact of their relationship and making their moments of togetherness feel more special and rewarding.

Summer in Hakone

A Symphony of Cherry Blossoms

storyboarding with a limit of ten panels

Conveying the passage of time

This illustration captures a fleeting moment between Umeko and Sakuya on a Tokyo train early in the morning. The scene stretches across ten panels, spanning three pages to linger on this point in time. The setting remains confined to the interior of the train cart, with the fourth panel of the first page breaking out to display the train's motion as the scene plays out.

The last spread

How does the final illustration complement the ending of the story?

In the opening of "Blossoms in the Garden," Sakuya and Umeko were depicted apart, standing in the rain, symbolizing their emotional distance. However, the final illustration presents a striking contrast, showing the two characters together in the garden, holding hands, basking in the warm sunlight. This scene serves as the symbolic opposite of the cover image, representing the couple's eventual "happy ending" after overcoming numerous hardships to be together.

designing a book cover

How does the cover illustration encapsulate the story's mood and themes?

The cover of "Blossoms in the Garden" features symbolic elements tied to the names of Sakuya and Umeko. The plural "Blossoms" reflects the connection between each other. Yet, a gate separates them, symbolizing Sakuya's inner turmoil and conflict, while Umeko is depicted in the garden, representing her self-acceptance.

The rain sets the solemn mood and environmental ambiance for the story. While on the back cover, two umbrellas lean against each other, signifying the characters' growing closeness throughout the book. This same pair of umbrellas on the cover suggests that Sakuya and Umeko have bridged the gap and that the rain of their struggles has come to an end.

Approved cover sketch

Feedback and Improvements

Shifting the characters leftward

  • Enhanced visibility of the background character

  • The composition is balanced, avoiding central alignment

Fixing the type of the title

  • Originally had an outline stroke for the type to increase readability from the background

  • Swapped for outer glow style for a cleaner finish

book cover with mockup

The Final Product

Conclusion + critiques

What I’d do differently

  • In my storyboard project, I explored various color and lighting options. Given that the project was done in full color, I believe experimenting with black and white illustrations and half-tone textures would have been better, capturing the style commonly seen in Japanese manga. Restricting my color palette could have led to a stronger focus on values, composition, and the skill of applying digital half-tones, refining my artistic skills. Looking back, I feel that spending less time on color consistency and more on panel flow would have been a valuable approach.

  • Upon reviewing my book cover illustration, I realized that a single, cohesive full-spread illustration would have been better than having two separate elements for the front and back. This approach would have created a more seamless and harmonious visual experience for the readers since there is a slight disconnect between the illustrated front and mostly solid back cover.

  • My male character was rejected by my mentor for this project, but I hope to improve his character in order to implement him in my project.

Two things I learned

  • This project started with no pre-existing story or structure, presenting its fair share of challenges. My goal was to convey a compelling story and meaningful message that resonated with me. As I progressed to the storyboarding phase, I faced the task of fitting the flow and narrative within a limited number of panels.

    My initial inspiration drew from otome games, which are dating video games for women that involve interacting with male characters to influence the story's outcome. My passion stemmed from a desire to enhance romantic diversity and elevate the quality within the romance genre, which I felt was lacking in certain aspects. Consequently, I introduced a female character as a datable option, leading to an important shift in the project's direction.

    Upon reaching the storyboard project, it transformed into a true passion project for me. I aspired to tell a love story that transcended the boundaries of a potentially limiting market. The journey presented its fair share of challenges, but the fulfillment in the end made it all worthwhile.

  • During my exploration of book cover design, I delved into the significance of typography in comics and book title presentations. By experimenting with various fonts, styles, and placements, I focused on conveying the shape of the type more clearly by removing strokes. This process provided valuable insights into enhancing storytelling through typeface. Through these efforts, I gained a deeper understanding of typography's crucial role in creating captivating book covers.