Votes for Women: The Battle for the 19th Amendment, Little Red Bird Press, 2020 Contributions to this wonderful 2020 anthology include both the cover, and a 10-page comic. The cover utilizes purple and yellow, the original colors of the Women’s Suffrage movement. The imagery communicates both the historic topic and the cartoon medium. Disappointed Woman: …
Out of Oblivion: How I Left OB-LOM, Birk, 2021 For this first novel from Ukranian-born writer, producer and performer Kristina Birk, the author and her team decided to go with an illustrated cover. The story’s dystopian setting provided a bounty of intriguing visuals to play with. After an initial round of thumbnail sketches, the author …
Not Another Breastfeeding Book, Beaver’s Pond Press, 2019 This book obviously needed a cover worthy of its cheeky title. The author decided to go the illustrated route. After reviewing three initial concepts, various fonts and palettes were considered, with the team ultimately settling on something gentle and inviting.
It’s Never Going to Work: A Tale of Art and Nonprofits in the Minneapolis Community, Marjorie Books, 2018 This book’s author, a Twin Cities artist and community organizer, wanted the cover to have the kind of inviting, organic feel that she brings to all her efforts. The result is an appealing, tactile design that is …
#LookUp: A Parenting Guide to Screen Use, Wise Ink Creative Publishing, 2019 For this nonfiction book about the intersection of parenting and technology, several directions were explored. The first round of concepts was very slick, with crisp vector art and bold colors. After reviewing these, the author realized that a better reflection of the book’s …
Wonder-FULL: Activate Your Inner Superpowers—No Cape Required, Beaver’s Pond Press, 2019 A superhero-themed workbook called for eye-catching, action-packed design. For the cover, the author envisioned a pantsuited superheroine in bold red boots, and classic “comic book” lettering. The two-color interior features questionnaires, journal pages, and lots of playful decorative elements. . .
Blocked: Stories from the World of Online Dating, Little Red Bird, 2017 This anthology of comics about online dating experiences needed a cover as direct as its title. The concept that fit best was an onslaught of hearts in text bubbles, attacking the type from every direction. . .
Kingman & Reed Mystery Series, 2016-2019. Each design for the Kingman & Reed Series is its own adventure. While all are tied, in small ways, to an overall series aesthetic (recurring fonts and a tactile feel), they are also allowed to stand on their own, with new colors and imagery to suit each new story.
It’s Nice to Meet Me Too: The Laughter and Lessons Learned from Raising Randy, a Young Man with Tuberous Sclerosis, Beaver’s Pond Press, 2017 The cover of this warm and lovely memoir features one of its subject’s favorite objects: a View-Master camera. This motif was continued throughout the interior, with a View-Master reel at the …
A Kid from Ely, Beaver’s Pond Press, 2016 This book’s author initially wanted to put a historic map of Ely, Minnesota on the cover. But after he shared a handful of family photos intended for the interior, it was impossible to imagine the cover featuring anything other than this charming childhood snapshot. The map of …