Before the Midnight Hour 家具插图 by Martin Reznik is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award 金奖 in 平面、插画与视觉传达设计 Competition Category.
金平面· 2022
Before the Midnight Hour 家具插图
Client: Martin Reznik Illustration
A' Design Award 金奖 Winner in 平面 Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #133798The Design
About Before the Midnight Hour 家具插图
由 Marc Krusin 委托创作的一系列黑白插图，展示了他为 Knoll 和 Desalto 设计的最著名的家具。受漫画和黑色电影的启发，该项目通过在场景中加入叙事、使用夸张的视角和喜怒无常的黑色美学，打破了家具插画的传统。人物的缺失和物品的散落为故事增添了神秘和悬念的元素，而主人公的身份则以出人意料的结局揭晓。所有图像均使用 Wacom Cintiq 数位板在 Adobe Photoshop 中以数字方式绘制。
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award 金奖
Before the Midnight Hour 家具插图是 A' Design Award 金奖得主，这是授予一流、绝妙而杰出设计的极为崇高的认可。金奖得主是极具创新、极富远见且璀璨夺目的创作，反映出其设计师的天才、智慧与才干。预计Before the Midnight Hour 家具插图将成为一项备受赞誉、引领潮流、气势恢宏的发明，带来前所未有的价值。这件赢得 A' Design Award 金奖的设计是一个壮观而受人敬重的项目，极大地造福并拓展艺术、科学、设计和技术的边界。Before the Midnight Hour 家具插图激起强烈的渴望，唤起激情，鼓励创造力，令我们着迷。
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
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