The Reading Round-Up is a cherished university initiative that helps incoming first-year students connect with their peers and professors through a shared reading experience. This voluntary book club fosters meaningful dialogue and creates lasting connections before the fall semester even begins.
I was commissioned to design/illustrate the poster for The Reading Round-Up 2024. The illustration and typography was featured on the poster as well as on other promotional materials, including screen-printed T-shirts and stickers distributed across the campus.
Initial idea sketches presented to the client
After sharing the initial sketches, the client gravitated toward the version that combined multiple cactus kinds. They also mentioned several animals that are iconic on their campus—squirrels, turtles (there’s an infamous turtle pond on campus), raccoons, bats, snakes, and birds.
Using that feedback, I replaced some of the cacti with those recognizable campus animals. The update added more personality and made the overall design feel more whimsical and personalized.
