Introduction
The brief was to design a publication for a client. Throughout the process, I had to work closely with the author in order to understand the design conceptualization of what the writer wanted and needed. The key skill in this brief was constant communication with the author, keeping her informed of all the decisions. The design decisions then had to be run by the author so that she could understand the reasons behind the decisions and approve of the publication features. The publication features included the direction in which the design of the publication would go. The grid, font, color palette, visual and interactive elements, book size, paper, and binding choice were all tailored to design a publication that the writer had intended.
Concept
The concept of the book is based on a memory that is cherished by the writer. The memory is about the author and her sister. They both had a very tough childhood, and as older siblings do, her sister did everything in her power to protect her younger sister and to make life easier. She remembers that her oldest sister once took out a big cardboard box, poked holes into it, and covered the open side with a towel. The holes that were made created little specks of light in the dark box. They both then climbed into it and lay there looking up at ‘the stars’. The name and design of this book are based on the idea of 'A Box Full of Stars'.
The book is filled with poems about life, curiosity, growth, and experiences. The poetry was initially written as a way to express emotions about the situations that she endured during her childhood, but she hopes that the publication can reach out to a younger audience. Showing the younger generation that its ok to feel lost in dark times; you must just look for the stars. And if you cannot find any, make your own.
The poet wanted the audience to experience her happy memory. The book was designed to ensure that and to encourage the readers to look for stars among the pages. There are a few interactive pages that flip out—this created more space for the long poems and also provided an opportunity for cutouts. When the flip pages are closed, the rectangular cutouts are used to highlight certain words. When the pages are being opened, the light from the outside leaks through the star cut outs into the darkness of the folds and recreates that same illusion in the writer's memory, making it a book filled with stars.
Publication Features
Font
Garamond Premier Pro
Binding
Perfect Binding with a hard cover
Paper
Inner pages: Stephen Innocent White (120 gsm)
Cover: Wild white (150 gsm)
Colour Palette
The color palette consists of blues and whites to link with the theme of a night sky and the stars.
Illustrations
Publication
