Taylor Gearhart – Review 2

I chose to write about the single-page graphic novel, ‘The Boat’ by Nam Le, which can be found at this link: http://www.sbs.com.au/theboat/ and covers 6 breathtaking chapters. ‘The Boat’ page blends beautiful ink and brush illustrations, haunting audio, and an impactful story with smooth and emblematic animations. The painted black and white texture of the page gives it a “storybook” feeling which is appropriate for the subject, and the watercolor is reminiscent of the water within the story. In chapter 2, a pale red-orange color is used with flowers and feathers, to imply a calm point in the storyline, but otherwise the page uses a monochromatic palette, implying the solemnity of the story. The page uses a top to bottom scroll, which is indicated by an arrow and the word “scroll” at the start of the page. There is also an auto scroll feature, which allows the viewer to be completely submerged in the experience. The visuals also tilt and move slightly with the movement of the mouse. There is a side panel, which allows you to click through the different chapters, as well. While scrolling, panels of illustration tilt alongside text, mimicking the movement of the water. The layout is mostly panels with layered illustrations and text, appearing and disappearing at certain points in the story. The panels move forward, shake, and sway while the viewer scrolls through the narrative. The panels and illustration style essentially make this page an interactive digital graphic novel. Speech bubbles will appear when the viewer scrolls to that point, once again creating fluidity and clarity. The background is also an interesting element to the page, and fades in and out of animated illustrations. The text and imagery flow well together and make the storyline and events captivating and easy to understand. Overall, I think the site’s design is exceptionally well done. I find this website to be especially inspiring and uniquely done. This is a unique concept that truly utilizes the one page design. ‘The Boat’ digitalizes a printed graphic novel, meanwhile still lending an experience to the viewer. The movement of the page, with wonderfully done paintings intermingling alongside the narrative, is effortless and mesmerizing.