As part of my internship with Macmillan Publishers, I worked with other interns to develop and pitch a new imprint for Macmillan. Together with fellow interns Reid Bartholomew, Yovanka Lopez, Aashna Moorjani, Shobhadevi Singh, Avery Wayne, and Hallie Young, we created a bilingual children’s book imprint.
After we had worked together to determine what kind of books our imprint would publish and decided what to call it, I set about creating a brand identity. We wanted the imprint to feel joyful and childlike without feeling immature, since many adult language learners read children’s books in their target language. The bike pedal logo reflects that perfectly, as bicycles are often, but not exclusively, associated with children; it also connects to the title of Tandem. I then chose colors that were bright but not overly so, along with Palmer Lake Print and Neutraface for the brand typefaces.
I was also responsible for creating mock covers for our potential books. I adapted two existing book covers to include the corresponding additional language and created a third to present as a box set.
Then, I designed a mock cover and interior spread for a new picture book that our imprint would be publishing. I created illustrations for the cover and pages, and hand-lettering for the cover.
Lastly, I compiled everything—my work as well as that of my groupmates’—into a slide deck that we then presented to Macmillan executives. This was a really fun project to work on, and I’m so grateful to have had such a wonderful group to work with.
© 2024 Ellis Carson Jones
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