Analysing the book & Initial Ideas - Freakonomics

Analysing the book & Initial Ideas - Freakonomics 

To help inform ideas it was important to read through the book to gather a better understanding of the content and messages within the book, economics is quite a new subject to me so the fact the book has a more informal tone of voice aimed at a contemporary audience made me an ideal target audience so basing idea generation around my readings of the book would make sense. 

Book analysis & potential ideas

Making mind-maps and word generations helped provide a base of influential points within the book that can be taken to form initial ideas that will be informed by awareness of the issues and content of the book with specific focus on a contemporary target audience (Me as an ideal person)

Upon skim reading and more in depth readings in places I gathered some point that could influence ideas & concepts:
Algorithms 
Statistics
Abstract Views on economics and a switch of the typical topics analysed, every day things rather than more complex subjects like financial figures, a wider audience can relate to this.
Riddles of life
Hidden side of everything shows how investigation into everyday life compares and contrasts to more sinister & weird things, like Klu Klux clang been compared to real estate agents, investigation into how sumo wrestlers and teachers are alike when it comes to cheating and why drug dealers still live with there mum. Shows a strong contrast and comparison of these hidden things that could generate ideas.
Curious exploration into things that are often overlooked by economists.
Different views and perspectives are presented for a wide range of understandings depending on the readers thoughts on these subjects. 
Not financial related like typical economic books, more related to the every day goings on. 
Explains what people want out of life.
Numbers dont lie but people do. 
Maths and numbers destroy the creative ideas that can be investigated in economics, this book shows creativity in questions and investigations. 

Initial Ideas & Concepts
Working from the points I gathered from the book I came up with a concept that meets the requirements of the competition, the content of the book and the problem I had to solve that I arrived at from brief analysis. 

"I need to portray economics and the subjects of the book in a contemporary way that sways away from common covers seen on business, economic, sociology and physiology books. 

Look into the target audience and understand what makes them tick and revolve ideas around this connection with the end user in a contemporary and refreshing light on economics. 

I need to do this to avoid the connotations with these books been seen as bland and boring, change the way people see economics and similar subjects covered in the book."

Im going to begin working from a concept based on an overarching idea of Decoding & Decryption an everyday subject, producing a design that can potentially be decoded or present an idea of decoding to give the target audience a sense of familiarity that resonates well with there questioning personality where they like to look deeper into subjects to come up with theories or understandings of a subject. 

This interactivity emulation of decoding within the front cover will act as an access, or an entrance into the books main focus, a way in which people can see general everyday topics in a different light.  

Possible visual methods of carrying this idea out will be the investigation of typography with support from pattern, shape and texture to represent decoding & decryption in a contemporary aesthetic keeping ideas away from the cliche use of numbers to avoid that common connotation of numbers and economics.  

Subjects to represent in a decrypted/decoded way would probably be best linked to the books topics:
Hidden side of everything.
Schoolteachers & Sumo wrestling and the subject of cheating.
Klu Klux Klan & Real Estate agents using information to exploit people.
Drug Dealers living with there mums & How prostitutes earn more than architects. 

Further more informed influence

A quick look into some influence relevant to the concept from David Popov & Mauris Lai and Erques Torres both editorial designs but complete different aesthetics, one with simple and minimal use of simple shape, and type that had quite an interacive and puzzle like asthetic and idea.

Yellow hue draws attention in & works well with the clinical and clean use of line and delicate serif type. 

The linking of the letters has quite a puzzle feel, not as obvious as a blatant puzzle but still works.  

Davide & Mauris example uses geometric and high impact pattern that could influence ideas of presenting abstract patterns to emulate an encrypted code that may have been influenced and manipulated by a source image relevant to something in the book. 

Maybe incorporate typography within this abstract pattern for the viewer to recognise & decode? 

This simple deconstruction and re assembly makes use of shapes been split up from a sans serif geometric uppercase typeface, making good use of its geometric construction through this simple but effective interaction between shape and typography. As the focus is on type this piece could influence further ideas of decoding.