Book Design
Every element of a book must be designed; the cover art, the title, the blurb, and every page within. The format of a book itself can be creatively designed to encourage interest and exploration of its contents, as well as convey (or mask) the purpose of the book. The varied binding techniques, materials that can be used, and the potential contents (or lack of) offer endless possibilities in the realm of book design.
Book Format Experiments
Design research ● Book design ● Paper craft
We are familiar with the traditional book format, and how it makes us feel, how we relate to the physicality and content of a book based on its presentation. But how would our ability to engage with a book, enjoy it, learn from it, be affected if the format were different?
The brief is to redesign the book format through research and experimentation, intentionally discovering how purpose affects format.
Sustainable Stationery
Product design & manufacture ● Material sourcing ● Cover artwork ● Planner design ● Brand & identity
Combining my love for stationery and ethical creativity, I created Novel Notes － a stationery brand for conscious creatives that are passionate about creating in an ethical way.
Novel notebooks are designed to be refillable, and compatible with other popular disc-bound brands so that users can mix and match Novel Notes products with notebook parts that they already own.
The business is developed through continuous improvements and strategic product iterations in small batches or via custom orders. All products and packaging are made from eco-friendly, recyclable, vegan and cruelty-free materials. This includes aluminium binding rings that are custom-made by local machinists in the UK, 100% recycled paper refills and notebook covers.
A Handbook on Collaboration
Cover design ● Research ● Content writing ● Photography ● Infographics ● Layout design ● Digital typesetting
I am always looking for ways to understand and improve the way things are done which is why I researched, wrote and designed A Handbook on Collaboration. It is an exploration into the different ways creatives could utilise and benefit from collaborative practice in their work. The book, and supplementary booklets, contain independently conducted interviews, and infographics to display research data.
I enjoy conducting research and analysing data to get useful information that informs my work, as well as improving the outputs of the teams I collaborate with. Developing a proper understanding of the themes I work with, and the audiences and organisations I create for, is essential for developing my craft and providing an excellent service.
Cover Art
Cover design ● Designing to templates ● Graphic art & illustration ● Layout design ● Digital typesetting
I am happy to have been able to design several book covers for academic publisher Anthem Press, London (UK), on a variety of subjects such as politics, history, science and mathematics.
Much of the artwork and layout design was to conform to Anthem Press guidelines and layout templates, so I enjoyed coming up with creative solutions within those limitations.
With some of the artwork, I was able to present my own graphic interpretations of the book topic. For others, where imagery was provided, I was able to work with the typography and layouts to create appropriate and attractive design hierarchies.
Book Layouts
Cover design ● Content writing ● Photography ● Digital art ● Image editing ● Layout design ● Digital typesetting
In my own book designs I am free to play with mixed media content (digitised for printing), experimental typography and layout design to express and discover new meanings.
The format is the boundary and the inspiration. The graphics tell the stories of their own creation, and everything that came before. The letters are words and images and art. Each page is a beginning, a middle and an end.
My Little i: An A-Z of Graphic Language is a playful journey through the elements and influences of graphic communication.
