Sprinkling whimsy

Published by 826 Valencia, the 826 Quarterly is a literary journal that features writing from authors ages six to 18.

As the 826 Valencia brand evolved, some of the materials created by the organization started to feel not in sync with the brand. The 826 Quarterly was not exception. When this wonderful publication entered its teen years, we saw this fun and important milestone as an opportunity to create a series that reflected the warm and whimsical personality of the organization and honored the work of our young authors with top-notch design.

Responsible for creative direction, art direction, prepress support, press check, and project management 

Services
Publication Design

Deliverables
Series Template
Volume 13 to 23

BEFORE

AFTER

Setting the Tone
We started by changing the size of the book, the type system, the masthead, and the paper used for the covers and interior pages. Then we went with a wraparound cover design, a solid color spine, and a pattern-like treatment for the inside cover. For the chapter openers, we incorporated illustrations and a second color. The chapters’ titles, cover design, and illustrations were all inspired by the wonderful stories featured in each volume.

My role

As the creative leader, I worked closely with editors, book designers, and illustrators, initially, on the design of the series template, and later, on the following volumes. I assembled the creative teams, provided art direction, made the schedules, and oversaw the workflow to ensure we stayed within our timelines and budgets.