Before the Midnight Hour 家具插圖 by Martin Reznik is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award 金獎 in 平面設計 Competition Category.
金平面· 2022
Before the Midnight Hour 家具插圖
Client: Martin Reznik Illustration
A' Design Award 金獎 Winner in 平面 Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #133798The Design
About Before the Midnight Hour 家具插圖
由 Marc Krusin 委託創作的一系列黑白插圖，展示了他為 Knoll 和 Desalto 設計的最著名的家具。受漫畫和黑色電影的啟發，該項目打破了家具插圖的傳統，將敘事帶入場景，使用誇張的視角和喜怒無常的黑色美學。人物的缺失和物品的散落為故事增添了神秘和懸念的元素，而主人公的身份則以出人意料的結局揭曉。所有圖像均使用 Wacom Cintiq 數位板在 Adobe Photoshop 中以數字方式繪製。
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award 金獎
Before the Midnight Hour 家具插圖是 A' Design Award 金獎得主，這是授予一流、絕妙而傑出設計的極為崇高的認可。金獎得主是極具創新、極富遠見且璀璨奪目的創作，反映出其設計師的天才、智慧與才幹。預計Before the Midnight Hour 家具插圖將成為一項備受讚譽、引領潮流、氣勢恢宏的發明，帶來前所未有的價值。這件贏得 A' Design Award 金獎的設計是一個壯觀而受人敬重的項目，極大地造福並拓展藝術、科學、設計和技術的界限。Before the Midnight Hour 家具插圖激起強烈的渴望，喚起激情，鼓勵創造力，令我們著迷。
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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