Children’s Literature Design: A research of contemporary picture books

Abstract

Picture books are one of the main children’s literary formats and are designed to value the relationships between text, image, and support for narrative articulation. Contemporary picture books have been used as an important educational tool in training of readers and have motivated numerous researches in areas like education, linguistics, literacy, and literature. The quality of a picture book also depends on its graphic design. However, there is still little research about picture books from the Design perspective. Thus, this article aims at investigating the intersections of the area of Design with contemporary picture books. The research was accomplished through a bibliographical survey and from the investigation of the characteristics of picture books, and it draws parallels with the knowledge of graphic design, exemplifying the discussion. Thus, the research points out transdisciplinary contributions between the areas of design and children’s literature. The main results are presented by topics in relation to children’s book design, which contemplates aspects of (i) materiality, (ii) layout, (iii) typography, (iv) stylistic qualities of text and (v) illustrations, (vi) graphic finishes, and, finally, (vii) paratextual elements.

Keywords: graphic design, children’s book, literary education.