DESIGNER/ART DIRECTOR
Author: Miranda Paul
Illustrator: John Parra
Editor: Lynne Polvino
Publisher: Clarion Books (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Publication Date: 09/03/2019
Jacket Specs: Matte Lamination, Spot Gloss
Honors: Included in Society of Illustrators 2019 “The Original Art Show”

Little Libraries, Big Heroes was a rare and beautiful thing. The opportunity to work with a genius of an illustrator, John Parra, to meet him in person and hold the physical pieces, to tailor the layout and type to fit the geometry and texture of his work- this is all a treat for a book designer. Even greater than this is the honor and responsibility that comes along with a project that honors the legacy of people dedicated to spreading a love of reading, and greater still is the need to create something worthy of a book’s legacy when the subject passes away before publication. Todd’s work in giving communities a tangible way to express their love of books had global impact, and so honoring that impact and his memory was on the minds of the whole team behind this title.

As for my part, of the font options that I provided for Editor Lynne Polvino’s review, we settled on a combination of Lunchbox and Bourton Hand. Each set of call-out words were individually painted into in Photoshop and colorized to fit the spread on which it sat. I created the words “LITTLE LIBRARY” for each of the signs in the book, taking the Bourton Hand font and manipulating it in Photoshop to have the proper perspective to integrate with the illustrations. I also had a large task of color correcting the book, both by marking proofs with thorough notes and by doing retouching and editing to the art digitally (examples below). Corrections were made in the illustrations by both myself and John Parra after we received the scans of the art from the printer overseas. This ranged from fixing background details to reconstructing areas where an outfit might have changed on a character.

The hard work paid off- John’s art was recognized and included in the Original Art Show at the Society of Illustrators in 2019.

Interior Spreads