Plant a Tree and Retree the World, book design

Plant a Tree

Book design, cover design, commissioning illustration

Plant a Tree and Retree the World is both a celebration of trees and a practical handbook for choosing which tree species to plant. It’s the second book I have designed by horticulture and agroforestry expert, Ben Raskin. The brief for this title was to design something that felt earthy and timeless, but also communicated an edgy, environmentalist, call-to-arms. I immediately thought of artist Rosanna Morris, already a favourite of mine, whose style and philosophy seemed the perfect match for this title.

My initial sketches identified green, yellow, black and natural textures as the colour palette. Those colours were developed by Rosanna, and then reflected back in the design once the final artwork had been made. I kept layouts pared back with plenty of white space, giving prominence to Rosanna’s hand-carved artwork. I then created this typographic cover design, bringing Rosanna’s artwork into the lettering, and evoking the title’s activist message.