Book Interior & Cover, Art Direction & Design 

A Year of Zen

Amazon's #34 in Zen Philosophy Books

In 'A Year of Zen,' Bonnie Treace guides readers through weekly prompts with awareness of the changing seasons and the connections we share.

For the cover, the pattern of lines is meditative, conveying a sense of movement with pathways flowing individually and together. Advanced Zen symbolism could be intimidating to beginners, instead the cover was designed to serve as a gentle reminder to return to your practice day after day: calming, inviting, and steady.

For the interior, each season is depicted with a soft color, featuring weekly tabs at the top of each page and subtle shifts in the layout to quietly assist readers in staying on track. I collaborated with Illustrator Veronica Collignon to develop dream-like, delicate watercolor illustrations that complement a Zen lifestyle and nature's seasonal cues; these are incorporated into the book in a way that feels neither intrusive nor loud, but in a minimalist decorative way that adds to a feeling of artful tranquility as the user moves from page to page.

I truly appreciate the interplay between the gentle structure of the lines and the organic sketches of the watercolor.

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