THICKET: The Art of Lily Seika Jones (2023)
Publication Design
Art Direction
Product Design
Marketing
Client & Artist : Lily Seika Jones
Editor: Nicole Collins
Art Direction
Product Design
Marketing
Client & Artist : Lily Seika Jones
Editor: Nicole Collins
Thicket: The Art of Lily Seika Jones is the first publication from Vancouver-based artist, Lily Seika Jones. Known for her delicately painted forest scenes and animal portraits, Lily is largely influenced by classic fairytales and myths.
Thicket compiles some of Lily’s breathtaking watercolor artwork from 2018 to 2023, alongside poems and character descriptions written by Lily herself.
I had the opportunity to design the cover and layout of the book. Plus guide the book from concept to print. Additionally, I designed the kickstarter page, pre-order exclusives, and all additional marketing related to the book.
Thicket compiles some of Lily’s breathtaking watercolor artwork from 2018 to 2023, alongside poems and character descriptions written by Lily herself.
I had the opportunity to design the cover and layout of the book. Plus guide the book from concept to print. Additionally, I designed the kickstarter page, pre-order exclusives, and all additional marketing related to the book.
Moodboard + Art Direction
Lily originally is from Vancover, BC where she spends much of her time walking along the marsh, drinking tea indoors, and coming up with her own fairytales and myths. Since childhood tales are something that Lily draws a lot of inspiration from for her own pieces, I wanted to represent that through her art book as well.We wanted the art to be the primary focus of the book and added poetry that Lily wrote herself as a supplementary aid to the lore that she creates through her paintings.
Some books and aesthetics that we thought of when we think of nature, darkness, whimsy, & nature include The Spiderwich Chronicles, The Land of Froud, Labyrinth, Zao Dao, and Scientific Illustration posters.
Some books and aesthetics that we thought of when we think of nature, darkness, whimsy, & nature include The Spiderwich Chronicles, The Land of Froud, Labyrinth, Zao Dao, and Scientific Illustration posters.
Cover Explorations:
I took a lot of inspiration from the natural clutter and chaos that comes from the wetlands and the forest and wanted her book to look like journal entries or like the book is an adventure guide through the Thicket. Which is how we also came up with the name of the book. To reflect the idea of a “traveler’s journal” I wanted the layout of the cover to be gridlike and simple just like simple journals you would get from a book store.
Additional Products:
To fit with the outdoorsy and whimsical theme, I thought a wooden bookmark would be a lovely Kickstarter bonus. Etched on Bamboo Wood so that it would be more environmentally consciencous. A bookmark so that it can be used by fans of Lily’s who also like to explore nature with a good book.
We also chose a few other deliverables that were exclusive to the Kickstarter. Such as Individual die-cut stickers of some of the featured pieces from her solo show, a sticker sheet with a whole group of little creatures, and a limited-edition print.
We also chose a few other deliverables that were exclusive to the Kickstarter. Such as Individual die-cut stickers of some of the featured pieces from her solo show, a sticker sheet with a whole group of little creatures, and a limited-edition print.
Thicket: The Art of Lily Seika Jones Solo Exhibition & Book Release
The photos below showcase the opening reception of the exhibition/book release party. The artist was present, showcasing new original artwork and sharing more of her original poems. Snacks were also provided, and the book was available for purchase.
