I designed a London West End theatre programme for Delfont Mackintosh Theatres and The Kenneth Brannagh Company's adaptation of King Lear. The play itself maintains most of the same themes from Shakespeare's original play - storms, the sea, family trauma and the White Cliffs of Dover. However, with the production set in a Neolithic period, the staging and characters adopted a more primitive and cavernous aesthetic.
My aim was to capture the essence of the original play's dark and intense themes within the Neolithic time frame, as well as mirror the progression of the play: from the storm and family upheaval, to the downfall of the king, and finally the somber aftermath of a fractured family.
I decided on a gritty typography, reminiscent of stone, to reflect the play's cavernous set. Throughout, dark imagery of water, storms, and the White cliffs of Dover echo significant scenes and underscores the play's mood, also reflected in a palette of blues, greys, and blacks. The layouts are punctuated with famous and impactful quotes from Shakespeare's text to emphasise the dramatic narrative.
For the cover, I chose a striking image of the White Cliffs of Dover, a pivotal setting in the play. The image captures the beginning of the storm, with waves starting to build while the angle of the cliff, showing its most jagged edges, mirroring the dramatic events that unfold within the play. The dark and stormy ambiance resonates with the overarching mood of King Lear.
The first feature, “Neolithic Narratives” is an infographic that delves into Neolithic facts to give readers an insight to the timeline of the play, using standing stones and Menhirs as a visual backdrop to emphasise the narrative.
The next feature, “Family Divided”, delves into modern family traumas, drawing parallels with those depicted in the play. Emphasising the significance of the play’s quotes, I used large typography to ensure their prominence. Intense close-ups of faces and emotions served as backgrounds to capture the raw emotions wrought by familial turmoil.
Feature three, “Faces of a King”, writes about the portrayal of King Lear by various actors. I wanted to represent the fall of the king whilst embodying the play’s theme of water. In the first spread, a regal crown made of water symbolises sovereignty. Subsequently, in the second spread, the crashing water crown signifies the fall of kingship—a visual metaphor for the play's narrative arc.
The cast pages feature a somber image of the White Cliffs of Dover as its background, with the odd reflecting the aftermath of the storm and family turmoil. Finally, the creative biog pages uses a backdrop of a gnarled tree, symbolising the familial discord and a family bent out of shape.
My aim was to capture the essence of the original play's dark and intense themes within the Neolithic time frame, as well as mirror the progression of the play: from the storm and family upheaval, to the downfall of the king, and finally the somber aftermath of a fractured family.
I decided on a gritty typography, reminiscent of stone, to reflect the play's cavernous set. Throughout, dark imagery of water, storms, and the White cliffs of Dover echo significant scenes and underscores the play's mood, also reflected in a palette of blues, greys, and blacks. The layouts are punctuated with famous and impactful quotes from Shakespeare's text to emphasise the dramatic narrative.
For the cover, I chose a striking image of the White Cliffs of Dover, a pivotal setting in the play. The image captures the beginning of the storm, with waves starting to build while the angle of the cliff, showing its most jagged edges, mirroring the dramatic events that unfold within the play. The dark and stormy ambiance resonates with the overarching mood of King Lear.
The first feature, “Neolithic Narratives” is an infographic that delves into Neolithic facts to give readers an insight to the timeline of the play, using standing stones and Menhirs as a visual backdrop to emphasise the narrative.
The next feature, “Family Divided”, delves into modern family traumas, drawing parallels with those depicted in the play. Emphasising the significance of the play’s quotes, I used large typography to ensure their prominence. Intense close-ups of faces and emotions served as backgrounds to capture the raw emotions wrought by familial turmoil.
Feature three, “Faces of a King”, writes about the portrayal of King Lear by various actors. I wanted to represent the fall of the king whilst embodying the play’s theme of water. In the first spread, a regal crown made of water symbolises sovereignty. Subsequently, in the second spread, the crashing water crown signifies the fall of kingship—a visual metaphor for the play's narrative arc.
The cast pages feature a somber image of the White Cliffs of Dover as its background, with the odd reflecting the aftermath of the storm and family turmoil. Finally, the creative biog pages uses a backdrop of a gnarled tree, symbolising the familial discord and a family bent out of shape.
