I was tasked to design a special edition book that highlighted a collection of 66 poems dedicated to the 66 counties in South Dakota, written by Christopher Vondracek, featuring artwork by Luke Gorder. Both are local artists who feed their curiosity with small-town gas stations, dirt roads, and everything in between.

The goal of making both the poetry and the paintings feel equally special in this book was important to me. I wanted the layout to be simple and clean so that both artists’ work could shine. The poems by Christopher “Rattlesnake” Vondracek were developed out of travels across South Dakota, so it made sense to create a comfortable travel-sized journal with a non-traditional layout. The bold, primary colors used in Luke Gorder’s paintings were perfect for creating the simple color palette used throughout. I love that our team created a piece showcasing work that both artists can be proud of.