Before the Midnight Hour An Dealbhan Àirneis by Martin Reznik

Before the Midnight Hour An Dealbhan Àirneis by Martin Reznik is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 Duais Òir A' Design Award in Dealbhadh Grafaigean, Dealbh-mhìneachaidh agus Conaltradh Lèirsinneach Competition Category.

ÒrGrafaig· 2022

Before the Midnight Hour An Dealbhan Àirneis

by Martin Reznik

Client: Martin Reznik Illustration

Duais Òir A' Design Award Winner in Grafaig Category

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Ionnsaich Tuilleadh Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Before the Midnight Hour An Dealbhan Àirneis

Sreath de dhealbhan dubh is geal air an coimiseanadh le Marc Krusin agus a’ nochdadh na dealbhaidhean àirneis as follaisiche aige airson Knoll agus Desalto. Air a bhrosnachadh le comaigean agus taigh-dhealbh noir, bidh am pròiseact a’ briseadh gnàthasan dealbhachadh àirneis le bhith a’ toirt aithris gu na seallaidhean, cleachdadh sealladh àibheiseach agus faireachdainn moody noir. Tha dìth làthaireachd dhaoine agus nithean sgapte a’ cur eileamaid de dhìomhaireachd agus suspense ris an sgeulachd, fhad ‘s a tha am prìomh charactar air fhoillseachadh ann an deireadh iongantach. Chaidh na h-ìomhaighean uile a tharraing gu didseatach ann an Adobe Photoshop a’ cleachdadh clàr Wacom Cintiq.

The Recognition

About the Duais Òir A' Design Award

Tha Before the Midnight Hour An Dealbhan Àirneis air Duais Òir A' Design Award a bhuannachadh, aithneachadh anabarrach urramach a bheirear do dhealbhaidhean den chiad ìre, mìorbhaileach agus sònraichte. Tha buannaichean Òir nan cruthachaidhean anabarrach ùr-ghnàthach, làn lèirsinn agus drùidhteach a nochdas gèinidh, gliocas agus comas an luchd-dealbhaidh. Thathar an dùil gum bi Before the Midnight Hour An Dealbhan Àirneis na innleachd a gheibh moladh mòr, a stèidhicheas gluasadan agus mòr-chuimhneachain a bheir luach nach fhacas riamh roimhe. Tha an dealbhadh seo a bhuannaich Duais Òir A' Design Award na phròiseact sònraichte, urramach a bhrosnaicheas crìochan ealain, saidheans, dealbhaidh agus teicneolais gu mòr. Bidh Before the Midnight Hour An Dealbhan Àirneis a' cruthachadh faireachdainnean làidir miann, a' dùsgadh dealas, a' brosnachadh cruthachalachd agus a' glacadh sinn.

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