In 2021, the folks at the Chicago Public Library brought me on board to create new illustrations for their Summer at CPL program, the first time a new creative had been engaged in over a decade. We clicked instantly, going on to create a suite of materials that were exciting, fun, colorful, and appropriately reflective of the city’s beautiful diversity. When their planned creative partner for 2022 had to drop out, they reached back out to me to fill in the gap. Because we’d already worked together, we knew each other’s working styles and I had a firm understanding of the project’s scope. Accelerated timeline in mind, I hit the ground running.

The 2022 Summer at CPL theme was City of Stories, and my chosen concept brought the city to life, a city built from books and speech bubbles, anchored by iconic local architecture, and upheld by joyful community members of varied ages, ethnicities, and physical abilities. I created top level and secondary brand graphics for use on print and digital applications, coloring pages, icons, publication covers and spot illustrations, games, t-shirt and tote bag art, and a full range of individual illustrations that their in-house design team used to bring the activity guides to life. Final deliverables were set up in both 4-color and 1-color, to give the team printing and reproduction flexibility.

It was an absolute pleasure working with the team at CPL, and I’m beyond proud of the work we created together. It’s always a treat to see your work around town, especially when it’s helping kids stay engaged with learning and have fun in the process.