THE PROJECT
The editorial team at Left of the Equator Press invited me to create a cover design for their new publication Visas Now! Aotearoa’s response to global refugee emergencies by Murdoch Stephens.
Zooming in on the high-stakes, one-off intakes of Syrians, Afghans and Ukrainians in Aotearoa during the past decade, the book features nine stories from people who advocated for specific refugee intakes, including some whose calls went unanswered.
THE BRIEF
The brief specified that I should select a photograph of local protests calling for emergency visas for Gazans with family members in New Zealand. Left of the Equator tasked me with creating a design that would to appeal to local refugee communities, activists and advocates, and policy-makers.
THE PROCESS
After experimenting with different photos, fonts and layouts, we came to the final design, depicting a powerful protest at the National War Memorial (photo by Teirangi Klever). Gloomy clouds allude to the challenges faced, while a bold title font (Tallica) lays out the demands of the campaign, elegant and unobtrusive Garamond Pro and Helvetica Neue round out the rest of the design. As the spine of the book was relatively narrow I chose to include the publishers logo on the back.
CLIENT FEEDBACK
“Jen was professional and easygoing in all our interactions. Her initial questionnaire allowed us to consolidate our ideas before she undertook the work, saving us time and money. She then brought excellent suggestions and draft designs, capably taking our suggestions and alterations on board and returning with a design we agreed upon within a tight timeframe. Jen liaised with our printer to ensure she provided the correct file specifications, ensuring a smooth process all the way to receiving the final printed product.”
— Valerie Morse, Left of The Equator Press
“Jen was a consummate professional - both prompting me to think broadly about what worked for the audience as well as what worked for me. She was quick to communicate, direct with constructive feedback and could clearly articulate the design logics behind her decisions. I would definitely work with her again - just look at the results.”
— Murdoch Stephens, author Visas Now!