Battle of Plassey | A zine by ThisDay

Illustration and Publication Design | 2021

Project Done for- THISDAY.APP

Illustration- Riya Kumari and Dishani Goswami

Product Photography- Riya Kumari

Timeline- March- April 2021


Battle of Plassey zine cover with a watercolour of a colonial mansion, next to a cup of coffee Open spread of the Battle of Plassey zine showing Robert Clive and the Nawab's court in rich illustrated panels

Abstract

British East India Company. Robert Clive. The Nawab of Bengal. Some more names. Some Dates. A Looming Battle. Some facts. Victory. Defeat. Betrayal. Some more Dates and Names and Facts.


Sounds familiar?

This is all that we remember of the History Lesson on “Battle of Plassey”, the battle that eventually led to the EIC taking control of the eastern part of the Indian Subcontinent. An important event is reduced to facts and figures making it boring to read and prone to be rote-learned. We as storytellers aim to change this narrative. Putting on our green thinking hats, we are here to make history fun.


“Battle of Plassey”, the Zine, is the brainchild of the Content Team and the Design Team at Ekank. Using Visual Storytelling as our medium, we are creating a narrative that’s memorable and caters to an audience vulnerable to getting distracted while reading long, boring paragraphs in history textbooks (Read- Ekank Design Team. Been there, done that  :’))

To sum it up, this project is our way of making history fun, one day at a time.

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Referencing

We collected paintings, artworks, and interpretations from various sources which were later used as a guide while storyboarding and sketching. This is done to keep the visuals as historically accurate as possible while still maintaining an acceptable level of creative freedom.

Mood board of historical paintings and portraits used as reference for the Battle of Plassey zine
Storyboards

The storyboards were created with the purpose of giving a direction to the overall narration and drafting out how the final product would look like. It includes defining the compositions, camera angles, pacing and overall visual flow of the story.

Pencil thumbnail storyboards for the pages of the Battle of Plassey zine
Final Designs

The illustration style is fairly detailed with slight stylisation while the compositions are relatively simple and direct.

The colour scheme is a balance of earthy, muted and deep colours. It helps in making the overall visual look vibrant and lively without the colours themselves being too saturated.

Zine spread illustrating Queen Elizabeth I granting the East India Company charter and Emperor Jahangir receiving the English Zine spread on the East India Company's rise in Bengal and the Black Hole of Calcutta, in illustrated comic panels Zine spread of Robert Clive plotting with red-coated British soldiers and tents on the battlefield of Plassey Zine spread of the conspirators against Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah, with a scroll titled The Plot Masters Zine spread of the British East India Company council, a dense crowd of soldiers, and the battle at Plassey Zine spread of the Battle of Plassey's climax: Mir Jafar's betrayal, a cavalry charge and Clive seated in triumph
The Zine
Battle of Plassey zine standing upright among books, showing its spine and cover Close-up of the Battle of Plassey zine cover with its red flag emblem on lace Battle of Plassey zine open to its introduction with an illustration of Queen Elizabeth I and the East India Company charter Illustrated zine page of Emperor Jahangir granting a farman to an English envoy Fold-out pages of the Battle of Plassey zine showing illustrated scenes of the Nawab and the British

Read the Whole Story Here - Battle of Plassey on ThisDay

Battle of Plassey zine propped against books on a table, with the words Thanks for Watching

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