Vermont Library Association

The Vermont Library Association held their 2024 annual librarian conference at the University of Vermont and needed a key illustration for posters, flyers, and programs. The theme of the conference centered on banned and challenged books.

Coincidentally, I had already created an illustration during the previous year’s Banned Books Week. As such, we were able to create a slightly edited version of it to make it perfect for the conference needs. With slightly color and format adjustments, as well as adding in two librarians helping out, we had a winner!

This illustration depicts a variety of students reading at and interacting with a secret banned books library run out of their lockers. Complete with a checkout list, posters, stickers, a donation box, and a banner, I wanted this to seem as real as possible. I believe in the power of kids and their ability to organize and make decisions for themselves - hence the focus on the young readers here. Additionally, each book held by a student or in the lockers themselves is the title of a real book that has been banned or challenged somewhere in the U.S.

I completed this work entirely in Procreate with my iPad, and really enjoyed developing the color scheme, background details, and texture to the lettering as well. This project really hit a sweet spot for me - social advocacy, kids reading, and fun colors!