At our upcoming AALC conference, we will be giving away copies of A Letter to the Asian American Church. This book wouldn’t have been made possible without Jessica Lee (Graphic Designer) and Aaron Lee (SOLA Editorial Curator). In this interview, Jessica and Aaron discuss the art and design behind the book.
Hi Jess. Would you please introduce yourself and your work?
I am Jessica and I am primarily a graphic designer. I’ve always had a love for the arts since I was in elementary school and found a passion for graphic design in college. I like to dabble in different types of arts, mediums, and jobs – restaurant owner, event planning and styling, crochet and sewing, branding, wedding invitations, interior design, freelance designer, letterer, and creating wood goods – but I always end up back in design because I love the process, especially how it can connect with the world and be impactful on a visual level.
What were some ideas you had when you first heard about the book title?
I see there being several approaches when coming up with a concept, one being literal to the title. The book is a collection of letters, so I created a mock up that was more freehand and personal. I implemented the use of brush strokes to further the idea that it’s an intimate book and giving a nod to Asian American culture.
I also came up with 4 other concepts. I loved them all and they all gave a different feeling and vibe to the book. One design was more abstract, another involved minimalist shapes with more Asian references. One could be considered on trend, and another that was a collage. Again, all emoted differently but I wanted to get the design right. I wouldn’t normally give so many options as a designer but because there were so many authors involved and many opinions, I wanted to present a broad selection of mock ups.
What was the process for settling on the current design?
After I loosely designed the 5 mockups it was presented for a vote. Each author had the chance to vote on the cover they liked the best. And from there we went with the majority. I then refined the cover you see now – handwriting the cover several times to make sure it was just right. And even with handwriting it, there’s so many different styles. With design, there’s so many possibilities. You can end up loving them all, but sometimes you just have to make a choice and stick with it.
I also made sure the lines were brush strokes, checking the kerning and leading, as well as the proportion of the letter size. I tried different colors and we printed some samples to make sure it physically looked correct. I ended up changing the color slightly with every iteration – slightly making the colors dull to create a more serious tone juxtaposed to the handwritten title.
You also did the layout for the book. How does it feel to learn something new?
I was so scared. I’ve worked with inDesign many times but never worked on a piece with 200+ pages. I did a lot of comparisons with other books. I checked if other books’ page numbers were centered or aligned to the left and right, if the contributors and notes font size were similar, how far the margins were from the page, and stuff like that.
I love to make sure things are consistent and to look professional. I tried to make sure the font was easy to read and that it felt like a book. I really tried to make the book’s layout secondary to the content – nothing fussy, obvious, or too creative. I didn’t want the reader to be distracted by how the words looked. I wanted it to be read just from cover to cover – nothing visually distracting. The layout is supposed to support the text.
Any encouragement for those looking to use their artistic skills for God?
There’s definitely a place for creatives at church and for God! You can design or illustrate a VBS shirt, make a sermon powerpoint beautiful and readable, or use your skills to design a retreat booklet. Even beautifying the office or front desk can be a creative skill. I would also say to keep refining your skills, practice, and find a style you love and just go for it. If it gets overwhelming, it’s okay to stick with what you know and what you enjoy doing.
Header photo by Edwin Fung.
For more, check out our Books & Reviews page — your one-stop resource for all of your reading needs. It features Asian American authors and issues, book recommendations, and interviews.