The Book Stop
For my senior capstone project, I decided to tackle the issue of literacy rates among low-income children. The Book Stop is a mobile library catered to those children, housed in a gutted out school bus. Studies show that 61% of low-income families do not own any children’s books and only about 8% take advantage of library resources. The Book Stop aims to change these statistics by coming directly to these neighborhoods, providing a traditional library checkout system as well as a free book for each child. The bus also hosts read aloud events and gives children a cozy space to learn and grow.
The Bus
When it came to creating pieces for my capstone, I knew that one of the most important pieces to design was going to be the bus itself. I wanted a design that would be fun and engaging for the kids that visit as well as their parents because studies show that only about 8% of low income families use library resources. They often do not because they just feel uncomfortable. In order to do this I created a fun alphabet pattern that covers the entire bus and used different colors for each section. I chose to use blue on the largest section of the bus because it is described in color psychology as trustworthy. Hidden inside the alphabet pattern on either side of the bus are three popular children’s book titles, which was added to create an interactive experience. You will also find illustrations of famous children’s book characters in the windows of the sides and back of the bus, making it look as if the characters are inside waiting on the children to join them.
Book Jackets
Research showed that low-income children to not often have books in their homes, so in addition to giving children the opportunity to borrow books, I wanted The Book Stop to provide each child with a free book that they could keep. These books would have custom book jackets illustrated in the brand’s style, forming a connection between the book and where they received it. This book jacket would also serve as a promotional piece for the bus.
On the back of each jacket is a summary of the book and an additional illustration. To make sure that my jackets were as promotional as possible, I included usernames to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and also made sure to include the logo on the back and spine of the book. I also made sure to credit the original illustrator at the bottom of the book.
The book jackets also contain two flaps. On the first flap is a summary describing The Book Stop. This was done so that if the child was showing their book to someone who was not familiar with the bus, they could read about it and get informed, further spreading the word. On the other flap is a biography on the author of the book.
Advertising
The design on the left is a poster that would be hung in the neighborhood to inform people that The Book Stop will be coming to their area. I wanted this poster to show movement and once again, be as fun as possible to get kids engaged
On the right is a flyer that can be placed in mailboxes or in kid’s backpacks at school. The flyer advertises a read aloud that The Book Stop will be hosting. They will be reading Mummies in the Morning, a book in the Magic Tree House series. I wanted the design to show the bus as if it is being transported into the story, showing that reading can take you anywhere.
Lastly for advertising, I created three Instagram posts. The first advertises that the bus has new books that have been donated that are available to check out. The second is a quote about reading that works well with the overall brand’s message. The third advertises the free books that are available for the children.
Additional Pieces
The signage I designed was created to sit on top of the shelves in the bus, indicating the different sections of books. I discovered six different categories when doing research and wanted to use these names to ensure that the visitors would be familiar with the terms. I designed the signs to look like street signs to reinforce the theme of transportation.
The library check out card and pocket would be stuck inside of every book, listing the title, author, the borrower, and the due date. When the card is removed, it reveals the same alphabet pattern that is on the outside of the bus.
The bookmark I created is a die cut of my bus illustration. This would give the kids an additional item to bring home with them to remember their visit and something they could show their friends which would further promote the bus
The stop sign sticker would be located on the first page of the free book the child would receive at their first visit. There is a space to write their name, making for an even more personal experience.