An adaption of Hans Christian Andersen’s, ‘The Ugly Duckling’, this is a story of the ‘other’ hatchling who wants to fit in, but is bullied because he is different. Art Direction by: Brian Bowes.
Challenge
To create a book mockup for an adaptation of the classic fairytale, the 'Ugly Duckling'.
Solution
After a series of explorations (one of which is featured here with graphite and sticky notes), I identified elements of the story that I felt would benefit children today, by being updated to reflect contemporary social values. For example, I felt that the notion in the original story, that the duckling must become beautiful (i.e. a swan) before he is accepted by a group of swans, reinforced problematic ideas of belonging for children. Elements like these were modified and updated in this adaptation. The 36 page manuscript mockup is available on request for publishers. If interested, kindly email me at aaditidutt@gmail.com for a printed book dummy or a virtual book flipthrough.
