Last year, the marketing team at Macmillan Education approached me to design a cover for their 2024 ELT catalogue. They had seen some collage-style* images I’d created for our own website and imagined something similar for the catalogue.
(*This was me experimenting with a more digital version of what I used to do. Back in the analogue era, I was an Illustrator, mostly for magazines. I worked in mixed media, paint, collage and some 3D relief work … which Art Directors hated as it meant the artwork couldn’t be drum scanned!)
The brief was to create a photographic collage design that was clearly different from last year’s catalogue, whilst retaining Macmillan’s distinct branding. Researching photos, playing with colour, shapes and layering textures is my idea of fun, so this really was a lovely project. I’ve worked with the marketing folks at Macmillan in the past, as an author, but what a joy to have the opportunity to collaborate with them in a design capacity at last! And for it to be triggered by some personal work was extra special.
Here are the final designs for front and back cover and contents spread.
Update: Ooh! Just look at the conference goody bags produced for IATEFL in Brighton this year. Call me sad, but I’m so excited seeing the design on a tote bag!
