Editorial Illustration

Overview:

I was tasked contacted by the Detroit Metro Times to produce a cover illustration for their article "Rough Justice". The article was based on the story of Marvin Cotton, a Detroit man convicted of murder. His we coming up for parole and he claimed to have been wrongly convicted. The article served to shed light on his case.

Goals

• Create a cover illustration based on the information provided on his story

Ideation Process:

Empathize & Define: I first sought to gather as much information on the story as I could in order to empathize with the tone of the article. I was presented with some material by the Metro Times and conducted additional research to gain a full scope of the topic. Based on my initial discussions with the art director, the article was to lean in the direction doubt as to whether the initial conviction was correct. With that direction in mind and the information I had gathered, I began to ideate some basic ideas.

Ideate, Prototype and Test: After a brainstorm session of word and image association, I had several ideas for potential solutions to the topic. I produced four low-fidelity solutions to present to the art director, each posing a different idea, but with the same empathetic tone as previously discussed. After presenting an A/B test to the art director and several designers, the group decided on moving ahead with option 2. This option helped to solve two problems:

1. The placement of the article name was to be placed inside the placard, where convict information is normally held.

2. The illustration was to provide the reader with an up close image of Marvin, giving them a glimpse into a somber and human aspect of the case.

Test & Implement: Once the low-fidelity sketch was approved, I moved on to creating the high-fidelity final. It was important produce an accurate likeness of Marvin, as well as to take into account other aspects of the interface, including the Metro Times title and article title. Once the final was approved by the art director, it was time for the best part - getting the article out to print!