Creative Direction and Visual Concept Development
freebird, moonchild, and unbecoming are three original poetry collections that explore identity, transformation, emotional growth, and inner freedom. While each book has its own tone and visual language, all three were developed as concept-driven creative projects where writing, design, and presentation were treated as a single system.
I served as writer and creative director across all three titles, shaping not only the written content but also the visual identity, narrative structure, and reader experience from cover to final page. These projects required balancing emotional intimacy with clarity and restraint, ensuring that each book felt intentional, cohesive, and visually aligned with its themes.
The goal was to create poetry collections that felt emotionally resonant while remaining visually disciplined and thoughtfully designed.
Key objectives included:
Establishing a clear conceptual foundation for each book
Developing visual identities that supported the emotional tone of the writing
Translating abstract themes into strong, recognizable cover imagery
Creating a cohesive reader experience across sequencing, pacing, and presentation
Ensuring each book felt distinct while still part of a larger creative body of work
The Goal
I led all creative direction and concept development for the three collections.
My responsibilities included:
Writing and structuring each poetry collection with a clear narrative arc
Defining overarching themes and tonal frameworks for each title
Establishing the visual direction for covers and interior presentation
Collaborating with an illustrator to translate concepts into cohesive cover designs
Guiding typography, composition, and visual restraint to support readability
Working closely with publishing partners to align storytelling and presentation
My Role
The Design and Narrative Approach
Each book was approached as a complete creative system. freebird focuses on themes of release, self-ownership, and personal freedom, supported by minimal line work and open composition that reinforces lightness and movement.
moonchild explores introspection, intuition, and emotional depth. Its visual language leans into contrast, symbolism, and celestial motifs to mirror the inward tone of the writing.
unbecoming centers on transformation and identity shifts. The visual approach was intentionally restrained, using stark contrast and negative space to reflect the process of shedding old versions of the self. Across all three projects, visual decisions were made in service of the reader experience.
Final projects were prepared for distribution across major publishing platforms.
Execution included:
Finalizing cover designs and interior presentation
Ensuring visual consistency across digital and print formats
Aligning layout, typography, and sequencing for reader flow
Preparing assets for Amazon and Barnes & Noble distribution
Presenting each book as a unified creative system
Execution and Launch
The three poetry collections launched as fully realized creative projects that balance emotional expression with disciplined design. Together, they demonstrate my ability to lead concept-driven work from abstract idea through execution, combining storytelling, visual direction, and system-level thinking. These projects strengthened my experience in narrative design, creative direction, and translating intangible themes into clear, cohesive visual outcomes.
This body of work highlights my ability to think holistically across content, design, and presentation. It demonstrates how I build emotionally grounded concepts into structured creative systems, collaborate across disciplines, and maintain clarity and cohesion. It reflects the same design principles I bring to product, apparel, and brand work, applied within a narrative and editorial context.