Brand Design & Illustration

Case Study: Ad Astra

Graphic illustration of a 5x4 grid system, where each grid features an illustration of a reader. Some squares include little books with a lot of attitude.

Main Deliverables

  • Brand Identity

  • Design System Development & Maintenance

  • Digital & Print Production Design

“Our goal at ad astra is to help make the connections between publishing, the books we read, and the wider world more tangible so we can fight for equity. ‘Per aspera ad astra’ translates to ‘through hardships to the stars.’ There is strength and importance in activated, conscious readership.”

Instagram Templates

Slide one of graphic that shows individuals holding protest signs. The signs read: SUPPORT PUBLIC LIBRARIES; Fight book bans; Protect the IMLS; Libraries save lives; Reading is political.
Slide one of graphic that shows a shopping bag with books peeping out of the top. Text on the bag reads: "Black-Owned Bookstores, Publishers, and Other Bookish Spaces to Support."
Slide one of graphic. The text reads: "How the Trump Admin Will Impact Book Publishing. Plus, ways to respond." There is an illustration of two people bent over their books in frustration.
Slide one of graphic. It shows a typewriter with the following text on a piece of paper: "The History of Bookselling as a Crime. Swipe to learn more."
The slides show readers in various positions. Some are carrying books, one is reading while riding a bike, another is standing on books and reading. Text across the slides reads: "Reading is a catalyst for revolution."

Iconography

Illustration of little book with face, arms, and legs. Very friendly!
Illustration of girl reading inside of a coffee mug.
Illustration of a pencil.
Illustration of a girl sitting on a library stool reading.
Illustration of an envelope with a notification that has a heart instead of a number in the circle.
Illustration of a girl sitting on the floor reading a book by lamp light.
Illustration of a cloud with a sun coming out.
Illustration of a hand holding up a protest sign that says: "Fight Book Bans".
Illustration of a girl holding up a sign that says: Fight Book Bans. There's a little illustrated book character standing beside her in solidarity.

Design & Project Management Tools

  • Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop

  • Figma

  • Airtable

  • Google Suite

More Details

Platforms

  • Instagram

  • TikTok

  • Substack

  • Squarespace

Priorities

  • Inclusive Design

  • Accessibility

  • Brand & Community Growth

  • Fighting Book Bans!

Illustration that's a risograph print of a bunch of readers handing off books to each other. The copy beneath the readers is: "reading is a catalyst for revolution".
The first of six slides. Click through to Instagram to view them all. This first slide's text reads: “What if our reading goals focused on creating societal change via readership?"
Illustration of a girl reading a book on grass. The text reads: "Using What We Read to Build an Equitable World." The subcopy reads: "Introducing the 2025 ad astra Readership Challenge"