‘Our own little monster’ is how Sharon and Ferry phrased their wish for a birth announcement. Cheerful and curious were keywords. They referred to their hobbies: movies, video games, and board games. ‘Can you make Godzilla, but then cute?’
I love assignments like these. They allow me to draw upon my favourite pastimes (I’m also a popular media geek, if you hadn’t noticed yet) and pushing into new and original directions. For this one, I had to whip out my hand sketching skills. Those can get a bit rusty.
‘Can you make Godzilla, but cute?’
—client brief
Godzilla-like monster
Some sketches later, I have a rough idea for a huge, slimy and cheerful monster. It grasps a milk bottle in one tentacle, and the top half of a skyscraper in the other. None of my sketches is perfect, though.
Illustrator and Photoshop help me here. I use them to add colour, texture, and a background.
Personal touch
Ferry, Tygo’s dad, has a creative past: he used to do graffiti. For this announcement, he got back into graffiti lettering, drawing his son’s name. I put the result front and centre on the card.
Very fitting, as the front side of the card is part of the city the monster is devouring. For the finishing touch, we had the cardboard cropped in the shape of the skyline, giving depth to the design.
Want your own little monster?
Would you like to have your own monster illustrated? Or another kind of cheerful birth announcement? Get in touch! Need more inspiration? Have a look at the other birth announcements I’ve made.