2050 is illustrated in a dramatic hypothetical way, giving readers a sense of what the future could look like. I decided to play around with the structure of the book; creating two worlds that juxtapose each other in two layers. The positive future creates the dust jacket, hiding the hardcover initially. I drew research from a variety of places including news articles, Pixar films and a large collection of illustrators. My idea developed slowly as I discovered things that inspired me, rather than from one idea.
I choose to draw the 'positive' future in a very linear, computerized style to make sure the illustration was very modern, flashy and stylized. I draw this on an isometric grid to make sure the style was consistent throughout the cover as I never worked in a style like this before. In contrast, the college that depicted the 'negative' world I kept very rough and organic to create a comparison between the two worlds. I used a collage of real trash and ironed plastic bags to stay connected to my topic but also my hands to create something beautiful with trash. This connects to my idea that the growth of the city can go in two directions; one being positive in bringing growth and wealth and the other being more waste and destruction.
The style and structure are reoccurring on the end pages and flaps, while the materials vary completely on the hardcover. I kept the back cover and flaps simply as to not overpower the design and let the city speak for itself.
