How to Open a Book

This illustrated book turns everyday gestures into brightly colored instruction guides. Each page transforms a fleeting thought or routine action into an illustration, using bold colors, hand-drawn textures, and cursive type to make even the smallest moments feel sweet, intentional, and newly noticeable. The project began with the random thoughts that pass through my daily life, ideas usually too trivial or too strange to hold onto. Familiar actions, like opening a book, are reframed as things you have to relearn, making the ordinary feel unexpected and slightly surreal.

Focus:

↳ Art Direction

↳ Book

↳ Editorial Design

↳ Illustration

Year

/

2025

Client

/

Mike Essl

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