Unity: Stories of Impact Book Design

Helping teens express themselves in print with a professionally designed book.

I led the creative direction and print design for Unity: Stories of Impact, a publication created for Dare to be Youth (DTBY), a charity that empowers young people. The book brought together contributions from teenagers — poetry, personal reflections, artwork, and community messages — and presented them in a professional, cohesive format.

My design approach was guided by a simple philosophy: be bold visually, but let the content remain the star. I built the visual system around DTBY’s brand colors, layering in collage artwork that incorporated photographs provided by the teens themselves. This balance of expressive design and clean typography ensured that every contribution felt elevated without being overshadowed.

To streamline the workflow, I provided formatting requirements so that the teens’ Word documents could link seamlessly into InDesign. I then developed page templates and applied consistent styles across the book, giving the diverse submissions a unified look.

While the client coordinated with a local printer, I prepared all files to meet production specifications, ensuring the final product was print-ready.

The intended audience included the youth participants, their families, teachers, and community supporters. Distributed at DTBY’s annual Youth Inspire Community Day, the book served both as a keepsake and a celebration of young voices.

I am most proud of the collage art and the way the design helped the teens see their work in a professionally produced book. This project reflects my commitment to design that amplifies authentic voices, creates clarity, and leaves a lasting impact.