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InspirationGraphic Design

Experimental children’s story explores the concept of 'home' through vibrant illustrations

Leaving home can be a daunting prospect, and it's something that few of us will ever forget. To ease the process, wonderfully talented designer, Alice Kolb, has created a children's story entitled 'grau blau meiau', which comprises a publication, an app and a website.

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Colourful illustration of three people and a cat in a garden with a house, from Alice Kolb's children's story 'grau blau meiau

The story is told from the perspective of a boy who moves out of his home to live in another, strange place, where he's confronted with two different scenarios. At first, he finds it difficult to cope with this situation, but later on, he finds solace in a feline friend who allows him to look at things from a different perspective.

The stunning printed book uses four full tone colours, and the app is available on iOS. Alice's idea is to engage readers further than would be possible with just printed pages. This is particularly achieved with the app's game, which allows users to choose characters from the story to build their own idea of 'home'. After creating this, it can be emailed as an e-card. To discover more, visit graublaumiau.ch.

All images courtesy of Alice Kolb

Silhouettes of a large figure with four different head profiles and a small boy in blue standing beside them, illustrating the story's themes of perspective and change
A blue-faced figure with black hair holds a grey cat with green eyes and red markings against their chest, eyes closed in a contemplative pose
Illustration of a figure with long black hair and blue skin with colourful geometric shapes and green leaves sprouting from their head, from Alice Kolb's children's story 'grau blau meiau
Colourful illustration by Alice Kolb showing a figure running across layered white houses in a green landscape with trees, a cyclist and a red sun in the sky
Isometric illustration showing a boy exploring stylised blue and white buildings with oversized grey heads and a cat, representing the concept of home from Alice Kolb's children's story grau blau meiau
Illustration featuring silhouetted profiles and a central white head filled with colourful brushstrokes against a bright red background, with a black cat below
Two large green eyes with black pupils stare out from a dark background surrounded by colourful abstract shapes and creatures from Alice Kolb's children's story grau blau meiau
Stylised white cat with green eyes and red markings surrounded by blue clouds and red and green brush strokes on a dark blue background
Colourful abstract illustration with red hills, green trees, blue water and a red sun, featuring layered brushstrokes in green, red, black and blue
Book cover for grau blau meiau by Alice Kolb featuring a stylised white face with black hair and a cat against a vibrant red background with green and white typography
Open book showing Alice Kolb's 'grau blau meiau' with blue illustrations of landscapes on the left and coloured text on the right page
An open spread from grau blau miau showing German text on the left page and an illustration of a boy among stacked blue and white buildings with wind-swept hair on the right page
Two open pages from Alice Kolb's children's book 'grau blau meiau' showing a boy surrounded by objects on the left and an upside-down figure on the right, illustrated in blue and black tones with German text
Two stylised profile faces in blue and black with abstract wavy patterns between them, accompanied by German text about a sister and mother on a white background from Alice Kolb's children's book grau blau meiau
Double-page spread from 'grau blau meiau' showing German text on the left and a colourful isometric illustration of houses and figures on green landscape on the right
Illustrated spread from Alice Kolb's children's book showing a boy in red with colourful characters and German text on the left page, and a figure in black on the right page
Open spread of Alice Kolb's children's book 'grau blau meiau' showing German text on the left and a vibrant illustration of three faces and a cat on a green background on the right
Open spread from 'grau blau meiau' showing colourful illustrated figures among green foliage with German text on the left page
Open spread from Alice Kolb's children's book 'grau blau meiau' showing German text on the left and a colourful illustrated face with bold brushstrokes on red background on the right
A white cat with bright green eyes and red and black markings surrounded by colourful abstract shapes in red, green and blue, with German text on the left page
Spread from Alice Kolb's children's book 'grau blau meiau' showing a figure in red with illustrated animals and plants in vibrant colours alongside German text
The 'grau blau meiau' app interface displayed on a tablet, showing an illustrated boy's profile with coloured landscape backgrounds and navigation options for Geschichte and Spiel
Tablet screen displaying a German-language postcard form for 'grau blau meiau' with colourful illustrated elements including cacti and abstract shapes at the bottom
A boy in blue and red clothes runs across a dark landscape holding a pink flower, with a cat beside him and UI elements visible on the left side of a tablet screen
Tablet displaying the app interface for grau blau meiau with text in white, dark blue and red on a blue background
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