Big news! Glow Your Worth received the 2022 Indigo Design Award for illustration and book design!
The international Indigo Design Award celebrates trail-blazers and risk-taskers who are innovating in the visual design world, with exceptional projects that shine with an uncommon artistry and have a fresh new take on design inspired composition and layout.
From hand-drawn sketches using tracing paper to digitally refined doodles, every detail in the book was artfully and thoughtfully considered.
The continuous linework in the symbolic drawings visually inspires an entwined path of discovery and growth. Similar to connecting with the flow of the ocean, the minimalist stylization of each illustration carries a sense of serenity and peacefulness — enhancing the theme of unconditional love.
The Glow Your Worth affirmation and gratitude journal was lined and designed by the talented and vibrant Valerie Damen of Pixels & Relish. Valerie put her whole heart into the concept and design of this book and I am extremely grateful for her expertise and creativity.
Design Rationale Submission
Glow Your Worth Journal: A Continuous Voyage to Self-Love
Determined to create “more than just a journal,” Sonia (author) envisioned a book design that would visually inspire her audience into joining her on their own personal journey to self-love, acceptance and gratitude. The goal of the project was to create a book that would emotionally resonate with readers and set the foundation for personal exploration.
Moved by the honest and infinite beauty of the birth of love, Sonia envisioned her book to radiate simplicity alongside symbolic themes tied to the ocean — a childhood place that she holds deep meaning and connection to. Inspired by the following excerpt from the book, the designer custom illustrated a collection of 111 continuous-lined illustrations to perfectly compliment each self-love affirmation.
“I was immersed in a solitary rendezvous with sunshine and sea, with a newfound sense of belonging to the waves. I trusted the ease in the push and pull of the water. I surrendered to its infinity; its uncertainty, polarity and power. There was something about the combination of land, sea, and sun that felt spiritual and peaceful. Whatever this force was, I was a part of it too. I knew my connection ran deep. It was pure bliss and happiness. My heart was full. Just as I was. Me and sea.”
The continuous linework found within these symbolic drawings visually inspires an entwined path of discovery and growth. Similar to connecting with the flow of the ocean, the minimalist stylization of each illustration — displayed both on the cover and within the interior — carries a sense of serenity and peacefulness, enhancing the theme of unconditional love.
From hand-drawn sketches using tracing paper to digitally refined doodles, every detail in the book was artfully and thoughtfully considered:
- The cover design was intended to spark curiosity and trust.
- The simplicity of the font was selected for its clean aesthetic.
- A subdued colour palette was thoughtfully selected to evoke calm and compassion.
Much like a scalloped shell cracked open, the Glow Your Worth book houses a precious pearl of positive affirmations and beautifully intricate imagery. Themes of power, depth, connection, and expansion of emotion were anchored throughout the interior in the form of water and ocean imagery. When Glow Your Worth sits wide open, readers are invited in with illustrations mirrored across two pages. Each drawing is a reflection of the one next to it, as is our personal experience walking through this physical world. Everything external to our own consciousness mirrors back our internal emotional state. We all are mirrors, reflecting back the internal heart state, taking the journey of love from one to all — connecting everything and everyone through one contentious line of love. Like a traditional love letter, each gratitude page is signed off with a token of love, as each illustration is as delicate and delicious as a simple kiss.
The feedback on the book design thus far has been nothing short of inspirational. The custom pairing between affirmation and illustration successfully evokes themes of connection and unconditional love. People have praised the illustrations as being “methodical” and “meditative” — that “the drawings bring them back to their ocean adventures and “the illustrations entrance their imagination with the power of just one line.”
Purchase a copy of Glow Your Worth on Amazon.
