The Power of One
by Bryce Courtenay
The Power of One tells the story of a tormented boy, his unusual best friends—Granpa Chook, Doc, and Morrie—and the life lesson of letting go. Peekay, born in South Africa, speaks the wrong language: English. This brands him as an outsider from the beginning, turning fellow schoolmates into bullies that inflict life changing torments. Peekay’s battle to combat racism and prejudice with his own self confidence parallels his ultimate goal: to become welterweight champion of the world. In his struggle to meet his goal, and through all the adversity and hate Peekay faces, boxing becomes his sanctuary, and the power of one is his greatest weapon.
Book Cover Redesign & Write Up
Target audience: Adolescents, Middle School (Grades 4–7), with an emphasis on the “coming-of-age” narrative
Death Spins the Wheel
An Inspector LittleJohn Msytery, George Bellairs
George Bellairs: a bank manager, a talented crime author, part time journalist and Francophile. His detective stories, written in the 1940s, 50s, 60s, and 70s, combine wicked crimes and classic police procedurals, set in small British communities. Best known for his Detective LittleJohn stories, he is celebrated as one of Britain’s crime classic greats.
With permission from the current designer for another designer to carry on his series look, the client requested for the style to be replicated as closely as possible so there wouldn’t appear to be a break in the covers throughout the series.
Client: sbrace of 99designs.com
Book Cover Design Concepts (3 submitted)
International Potluck
An employee-based cookbook to follow up a company-wide, international potluck, featuring recipes from over nine countries and cultures spanning four dining categories.
Client: Synapse Group, Inc.
Creative direction: Kristen Kish
Design & illustration: Sarah Rocco
The cookbook was also used as a template for a Blue Rock School fundraiser in West Nyack, NY
A Relic from a Time Past
Irish Cuisine & Other Stories
There is an Irish saying: “If wars were fought with words, Ireland would rule the world.” The written and spoken word is revered in Ireland. The ancient order of Celtic poets’ verses, stories, and proverbs were handed down orally through the generations.
This story is told through a combination of Irish lore and Irish Soda Bread recipes.
Woven within the Selkie story (quoted from Carol Goodman’s The Lake of Dead Languages) are variations of recipes for Irish Soda Bread; between chapters you will find variations of recipes for Irish Bread Pudding, both mirroring the ties that exist in Irish culture between cooking and storytelling. These recipes represent the variations in our past as well as our similarities.
The recipes are presented in an English/Irish format representing the continuous melding of cultures and traditions.
Slan agus beannacht leat.
Art direction: Jason Dilworth
Selkie Story: Carol Goodman, The Lake of Dead Languages
Design & photography: Sarah Rocco