HBCU Prep School
When first-time author Claudia Walker set out to release The ABCs of HBCUs under her publishing company, HBCU Prep School, she desired an illustrator and creative partner with lived HBCU experience.
With our shared background at Spelman College, I was selected to lead art direction, logo and identity design, and provide digital illustration and book design that seamlessly reflected the beautiful and diverse nuances of HBCU culture. I also led creative for Walker’s second release, The ABCs of Black Wall Street.
CAPABILITIES
Logo + Identity Design
Art Direction
Digital Illustration
Book Cover + Layout Design
ACCOLADES
The fall 2020 release of The ABCs of HBCUs was a breakout success—selling 1,000 copies in its first month, far surpassing the typical lifetime sales of 250 copies for self-published children’s books**.
Both The ABCS of HBCUs and The ABCs of Black Wall Street were instrumental in HBCU Prep School winning the $25,000 Build Black Shopify Pitch Competition, as well as business mentoring from entrepreneur and Shark Tank investor Daymond John.
Each title landed retail placement on Macys.com and Bloomingdales.com, as well as in over 1,900 Target stores nationwide during Black History Month 2022.
The books also earned recognition on “best of” lists by Essence magazine and the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, as well as major national media recognition in Forbes and others.
Shondaland
In 2021, I was commissioned to create digital illustrations for two editorial storytelling series at Shondaland.com.
CAPABILITIES
Art Direction
Digital Illustration
“The Good, the Bad, the Ugly in Online Communities”
“Power of Adaptability: We're All Doing Things We Didn't Expect”
Power Series Main Art