A Visual Guide to Climate Change

This was a book redesign project to conceptualize and design a print illustrated book (covers and interior spreads) which I completed in 2023 for a senior publishing class with the application of typesetting, graphic design, and book binding skills. The format I chose to execute is a Middle-Grade Non-Fiction Literature, aka an Informational Handbook/Guide on Climate Change. I utilized Adobe InDesign and Illustrator to create a 5.25 x 7.5” saddle-stitch bounded, soft cover book in six weeks time.

Based on my prior research, these books are designed to describe, inform, explain, persuade, and instruct readers about real-world topics, while maintaining entertainment and enjoyment in reading. They assist in providing young readers with information without the literary devices common in fiction.

The primary audience is adolescents between ages 8 and 15 in middle school interested in beginning to learn about real-world aspects, in this case, climate change. These adolescent readers can already be intrigued with climate change, thus wanting to learn more with a method that is not too text-heavy and includes supporting imagery to maintain the sense of recreation found through reading.

A secondary audience can be authoritative figures such as parents, teachers, or other guardians who may choose to utilize the topics in these books to assist in educating children about more extensive subjects in addition to their knowledge. The simplified format of the book integrated with imagery will help with easier comprehension and interpretation.

Initially, I experimented with various overlapping elements and a two-column grid structure. However, after deciding to make a smaller, almost chapter book-sized novel, I decided to stick to a one-column structure to provide adequate balance between the content and negative space.

Since this style of book appeals to a slightly younger but still mature audience, I chose to encompass illustrations for the choice of visuals as it implies a more playful and intriguing tone rather than photography.

The colour scheme of this book and its corresponding illustrations mostly fall under the realm of greens and occasional deep blues to imitate the earth and nature, as the topic is climate change. The tones of the colours are also slightly more muted than brightly eye-catching colours to appeal to and mimic a sense of maturity.

I chose to pair a serif, PT Serif, for the body copy and a sans serif, Open Sans, for the headings. Both these typefaces are modern and exude a clean and minimal vibe, which correlates to the ease in readability, especially the serif font, which is easier to read on print. Pairing these two typefaces together creates contrast and hierarchy between the heading and body copy. I utilized colour, size, and capitalization to further emphasize difference between headings 1 and 2 while ensuring easily distinguishable sections for new topics and subtopics.

I opted for saddle stitch binding to keep the design both simple and refined. For the cover, I selected Lynx 100 lb Cover paper to ensure durability in protecting the inner pages, especially without a hardcover. For the inner pages, I selected Lynx 70 lb Text paper, as its thickness allowed for crisp double-sided printing without any bleed-through, ensuring clear readability and improving the reading experience overall.

From this project, I initially thought I was merely learning how to bind a book as I thought I had an adequate understanding of designing. However, with the book production process, there were many elements and aspects I did not take into consideration. Besides the countless details to enhance a book for maximum reading experience, I also learned the significance of printing at every interval of your progress to ensure the book is legible and readable on print. I am used to designing for the web, so this consideration was not something I thought about before this class.

Overall, for my first time developing an actual book, along with binding and setting up everything from scratch, I am proud of my outcome. This operation was a challenging, sometimes frustrating, but fulfilling encounter. While it was not a complete experience, I think it is a concrete foundation to explore further. Within the given time frame, I am satisfied with the outcome I produced.