During the early expeditions of The Oceania Project, film maker Darren McDonald came aboard to document his experiences with the Whales. Stephen was commissioned to design the cover for the film that would be co-produced by Darren and The Oceania Project. Inspired by the photography taken by research scientist Trish Franklin, Stephen chose to let these images command the visual impact of the design. An image of a breaching mother and calf was used for the front cover. He layered on top a large edge to edge condensed font for the title, adding a soft ghosting effect to tie it in with the background clouds. Similarly on the back cover a closeup of three Dolphins was used, with the central dolphin pushing through the marketing copy, imbuing a sense of movement. The result was an all-encompassing design that conveyed the majesty and angelic nature of the Humpback Whales of Hervey Bay.
Photography: Dr. Trish Franklin
Creative Direction: Stephen Franklin
Graphic Design: Stephen Franklin
Stephen used a full bleed image on the cover, merging the typography with the image.
The blue waters of Hervey Bay enveloped the entirety of the packaging.
Franklin kept the layout clean and subtle across the entire cover, allowing the images to shine through.
