Books
Below are two books I created as personal projects, each showcasing a different approach to storytelling and design. One book is fully written and illustrated by me, allowing me to explore narrative development alongside visual storytelling. The other features handmade collage-style cover designs—an unconventional choice in graphic design that gives the book a raw, tactile, and unique aesthetic. These projects allowed me to experiment with different creative techniques, pushing the boundaries of traditional book design while refining my skills in illustration, layout, and conceptual development.
Book cover & box set design
This project was a series of book cover redesigns, unified by a theme of my choosing, “Outcasts & Misfits.” Each of the selected books—Frankenstein, The Hobbit, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest—centers around a character who doesn’t quite fit into the world they inhabit. Frankenstein’s creature is a literal patchwork of different parts, rejected by society. Bilbo Baggins is an unlikely hero, thrown into an adventure where he often feels out of place. Randle McMurphy resists conformity in a system designed to suppress individuality.
To reflect this theme, each book cover was created using a handcrafted collage technique, incorporating real photos, newspapers, and magazine scraps. The fragmented, layered compositions mirror the struggles of these characters—disjointed yet defiant in their pursuit of identity and belonging. Alongside the covers, I also designed a custom box set to tie the collection together, reinforcing the shared visual and conceptual identity of these classic stories. This project allowed me to explore unconventional book design while pushing the boundaries of storytelling through mixed-media artwork.
Before I Let Go…
In my Illustration class, we were given the opportunity to create our own children’s book within a semester. This 32-page, wordless book was a deeply personal project, inspired by the loss of my grandmother. It was designed to help younger audiences understand grief and learn how to cope with losing a loved one through visual storytelling.
The book is structured like a family photo album, with each illustrated photo serving as a snapshot of the story. A unique blend of hand-drawn illustrations and real-life textures gives the artwork depth and emotional resonance. The use of color plays a key role in distinguishing reality from imagination, guiding the reader through the character’s journey of loss and healing. By removing words entirely, the narrative is left open for personal interpretation, allowing readers to connect with the story in their own way.
