Normal Public Library Activity Guides
Publication Design & Illustration
Art Direction · Editorial Design · Illustration · Typography · Content Development • Creative Strategy
A better way to tell the library's story.
When I joined Normal Public Library as its first in-house graphic designer, programs and services were primarily promoted through individual flyers created by staff across the organization. The result was an overwhelming volume of design requests, inconsistent visual communication, and a process that often encouraged last-minute planning.
I helped introduce a quarterly Activity Guide as a more cohesive solution: one publication bringing together three months of library programs in a format that's easier for both staff to plan and the community to navigate.
I design each guide from cover to cover, including editorial layout, original cover illustration, and supporting graphics, while collaborating with programming staff on content and ensuring event descriptions follow the writing standards I developed.
A new visual story for every season.
Each quarterly guide features an original cover illustration, giving me an ongoing opportunity to experiment with style, technique, and visual storytelling while working within the larger NPL brand.
I develop each concept and create the artwork using a mix of vector illustration in Adobe Illustrator, digital drawing in Procreate, and traditional hand-drawn techniques. The changing illustration styles give each issue its own personality, while consistent typography, structure, and brand elements keep the series recognizably NPL.
Designing for information, not just attention.
Behind each illustrated cover is a highly functional publication containing dozens of programs for different audiences. I developed a consistent editorial system that organizes a large amount of information while making individual events easy to scan and discover.
That system allows each issue to accommodate changing content without sacrificing hierarchy, readability, accessibility, or the personality of the NPL brand.