Book designs

I have always found a passion in books. Writing, designing, and printing my own self-published book was my first step in figuring out how books are not only written but made. That intrigue guided me toward classes in book design and book binding. Each book making project required a close understanding of the text so that the visual language and tone could reflect the written content. It also required an understanding of art as an object and experience, where pacing, sequence, and user interaction are considered — skills which I have found transfer into so many disciplines, including animation, illustration, and website design. All collages and drawings included within my designs are original and created by me.

Open red book with white text on a white table, with a corner of a chair visible in the background.

Two Wilde Tales by Oscar Wilde

Unique gold foiling, binding, and illustrations all done by hand.

Mother Tongue by Amy Tan

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

All props I 3D printed, spray-painted, then
photographed, custom for this book cover.

Book cover titled "Klara and the Sun" by Kazuo Ishiguro, featuring a metallic mask, gears, and a metallic arm on a textured gray wall, with one side displaying a photo of the author and a quote about storytelling.
A book titled "Klaus Shiguro" and "The Situation" lies on a concrete surface with textured appearance, with a shadow cast across part of the book.
A boxed puzzle titled 'Klabautermann and the Sun,' featuring an illustration of a face with mechanical elements, rests on a textured wooden surface outdoors.
Open booklet or brochure with green patterned page and blue page containing text about Kazuo Ishiguro, with black and white photo of a man wearing glasses and a suit.

How Does a Hurricane Form?

  • Black and white print of a textured pattern resembling a hurricane formation with intersecting lines and swirls. The caption underneath reads, "How does a hurricane form?"
  • Black and white print of a lightning storm over an ocean with wave patterns, accompanying text discusses hurricanes and air as fuel.
  • Black and white illustration of ocean waves and spray, with text beneath indicating the ocean's movement and air levels near the surface.
  • A black and white image of a printed page with a diagram of weather patterns, showing clouds and wind. Text describes how water in the air forms clouds as it cools and how the system of clouds and wind spins and grows.
  • A black and white linocut print of a camera roll, with detailed line work depicting the round shape and the film roll.
  • A black and white abstract artwork spread across two pages of a book, featuring swirling lines and textured patterns, with a caption below reading 'It is calm and clear in the eye, with low air pressure.'
  • Black and white abstract art depicting swirling and scattered lines, with a caption reading 'Higher pressure air from above flows down into the eye.'
  • Black and white illustration of a hurricane with swirling winds and clouds over the ocean. The drawing emphasizes the storm's rotation and power.
  • Black and white book cover featuring abstract, striking line art resembling a lightning bolt or branch, with text at the bottom explaining the book's creation by Jordan Spector and design details.

The Arch Will Not Stop Following Me

  • Painting of a sunset sky with clouds, trees, and a lighted road, displayed on a black chalkboard with white chalk writing that says, 'The ABC will not stop.'
  • Open book with two pages; left page has text 'Wherever I go on the riverfront' above a watercolor painting of an arched bridge; right page has text 'the arch will not stop following me.' above a black sketch of the same bridge with a blue arch.
  • An open book with two illustrations of bridges, one colored and one sketch in black and white. The left page has text that says 'Like seriously' and the right page says 'go away.' The book is held by a person's hand, and a laptop is visible on the white table in the background.
  • A hand holding an open sketchbook with black ink architectural sketches of buildings. In the background, a silver laptop with a black keyboard is on a light-colored table. The right page of the sketchbook shows a sketch of a building with a dome, and the left page has a sketch of a modern building with multiple windows.
  • Photograph of a hand holding a printed artistic depiction of a view through a series of arches showing a landscape with trees, a sunset, and mountains in the distance.

Florence Study Spots Zine

Summer 2023

Little Lines (an original poem and original type family)

Japanese Binding Set with Case

A drawing of a hand in black and white on paper placed on a wooden table.
A person holding a closed red hardcover notebook or journal with a strap or band on a wooden surface. In the background, there is a white sheet of paper, a paintbrush, a gray cup, and a black object, possibly furniture or equipment.
A wooden workbench with pieces of cardboard, masking paper, and tools for crafting or assembling.
A set of black and white photographs depicting trees, arranged in a fanned-out manner on a purple surface.

A unique book I made, following the Belgian Book Binding method:

Multiple open sample books and swatches displaying different textures and patterns, including fabric samples, paper, and metallic finishes, arranged on a flat surface.

A collage of small books I’ve made as personal gifts — each is compiled of found stories and art (some my own, some from out in the world) that I wanted to share with my friends and family :)

A person is holding open a small book with butterfly and nature illustrations. The surrounding table has various open books, maps, papers, and a cutting mat, indicating a crafting or bookbinding workspace.
Cover of a student anthology titled 'Creative Writing Café', featuring an illustration of a rabbit's skull with antlers and leaves, for the 2023-2024 academic year.

A glimpse of a book design I did to celebrate student writing…

Open book with text on the left page and a framed drawing of a hand holding a quill on the right page. The pages are numbered 92 and 93.
Open book on a table with the title 'CREATIVE WRITING CAFE' visible on the right page.
Open paperback book displaying the table of contents, with pages numbered from 1 to 89, resting on a brown surface.
Open book with the page showing the title "Weight" by Alexis Bentz, published in 2022, on a light brown surface.
Open book with text on a page, part of a paragraph about the Creative Writing Cafe at Washington University in St. Louis.
Open book with the title "Creative Writing Cafe" and the subtitle "A Student Anthology" on its right page, with a faint text background on the left page, held by a person with a thumb visible at the bottom left corner, resting on a brown surface.
Black poster with a white line drawing of a hand making a peace sign, placed on a textured beige surface.

More Work

Posters

Cards

A colorful abstract painting with blue, yellow, orange, green, and brown brushstrokes, and a small cutting of a landscape picture in the center.

Drawings & Paintings

A collage of four black and white sketches of famous Italian landmarks: St. John Baptistery, The Arno River with people in boats, Palazzo Vecchio, and Piazza Michelangelo, with a young boy in a hoodie observing them.
A reflective black sign with the words 'S A R G E S' in stylized, gothic white letters, located outdoors on a city street with trees and buildings in the background. The sign appears to be advertising Arts & Literary Magazine.