Before the Midnight Hour Meubelsyllustraasjes by Martin Reznik

Before the Midnight Hour Meubelsyllustraasjes by Martin Reznik is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award yn Goud in Grafyk, Yllustraasje en Fisuele Kommunikaasje Ûntwerp Competition Category.

GoudGrafysk· 2022

Before the Midnight Hour Meubelsyllustraasjes

by Martin Reznik

Client: Martin Reznik Illustration

A' Design Award yn Goud Winner in Grafysk Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About Before the Midnight Hour Meubelsyllustraasjes

In searje swart-wyt yllustraasjes yn opdracht fan Marc Krusin en mei syn meast foaroansteande meubelûntwerpen foar Knoll en Desalto. Ynspireare troch stripferhalen en noir-cinema, brekt it projekt de konvinsjes fan meubelyllustraasje troch fertelling nei de sênes te bringen, gebrûk fan oerdreaun perspektyf en in stimmige noir-estetyk. It gebrek oan minsklike oanwêzigens en fersprate objekten foegje in elemint fan mystearje en spanning ta oan it ferhaal, wylst de haadpersoan wurdt iepenbiere yn in ferrassende ein. Alle ôfbyldings waarden digitaal tekene yn Adobe Photoshop mei help fan Wacom Cintiq tablet.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award yn Goud

Before the Midnight Hour Meubelsyllustraasjes is in winner fan de A' Design Award yn Goud, in ekstreem prestisjeuze erkenning foar earste-klas, prachtige en treflike ûntwerpen. Goudwinners binne tige ynnovative, fisionêre en glamoureus ferbjusterjende skeppings dy't it sjeny, de wiisheid en de feardigens fan har ûntwerpers wjerspegelje. Fan Before the Midnight Hour Meubelsyllustraasjes wurdt ferwachte dat it in tige priizge, trendsettende en monumintale útfining is dy't unferlykbere wearde leveret. Dit winnende ûntwerp fan de A' Design Award yn Goud is in spektakulêr, respektearre projekt dat grutte foardielen bringt en de grinzen fan keunst, wittenskip, ûntwerp en technology ferleget. Before the Midnight Hour Meubelsyllustraasjes makket yntinse gefoelens fan begearte, stekt passy oan, stimulearret kreativiteit en fassinearret ús.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Series of illustrations commissioned by furniture designer Marc Krusin for the promotional use on his website and across social media channels and featuring his most prominent furniture designs for Knoll and Desalto. The project brakes the conventions of furniture illustration by bringing a narrative to the scenes, use of exaggerated perspective and a film noir aesthetic. The lack of human presence and scattered objects add an element of mystery. The protagonist is revealed in a surprise ending.
Dimensions & Packaging: The illustrations are mainly used in a digital format online, but they were also designed with art print production in mind. Each square illustration is drawn on 500 x 500mm digital canvas.
The images were later combined into a large poster (500 x 700mm) and reproduced as a limited edition screen print.
Tags: illustration, furniture, noir, interior design, comics, digital art, black and white, drawing, architecture, graphic
Production Technology: Each illustration was drawn in pen and ink on paper and once approved by the client it was redrawn digitally. I used Adobe Illustrator to construct the furniture and interiors accurately and then Photoshop to apply textures, light and draw other elements using Wacom Cintiq tablet. The images were rendered using black only to recreate film noir aesthetic.
Design Challenge: The client was against any human figures in the scenes, but I could not help but wonder about the smoker missing from the first image. I felt his appearance was important to the story. His silhouette is revealed in an extended version of the 4th illustration, but only as a scroll option on an Instagram post. The client thought this elegant solution added an element of surprise and closure to the story.
Each image needed different cropping options to accommodate various socials and screen formats.
Research: Since I have never illustrated furniture before I made few initial sketches based on an online research of the industry trends, but these came out quite dull and rigid. I was not happy with them at all. I decided to go a different way and focus on style and narrative instead. From then on the research involved my favourite films and comic books, noir genre in particular. I decided to recreate its moody atmosphere in my series. The style also justifies unconventional framing of the furniture.
Inspiration: Main inspiration for this project were comics and classic French noir cinema. The concept for the first illustration came from a reference photo I received from the client, which was a shot of a chair from behind and at a very low angle. It was very unusual and sparked loads of questions in my head. Being a fan of detective stories I decided to follow this approach in the layout of the image. The first image was crucial in setting the tone for the whole series.
Project Duration: The series was posted on Instagram and LinkedIn starting February 2021 and these posts are still active. The hero banners on client's website run for about 8 months, nearly till the end of 2021.
Operation Flow: The project was initially published on Instagram. The illustrations were posted in regular time intervals. Main interaction with the story comes with the 4th and last illustration, where the viewer is encouraged to reveal the protagonist (the smoker) by using the scroll option on the Instagram post.
The unusual approach to furniture illustration in these series ensures the greater impact on the viewers arousing their curiosity about the products and the brand itself.
Image Credits: All illustrations: Martin Reznik, 2021