Indie Book Store Posters

Mission Statement

My design mission is to celebrate the magical experience of wandering through bookstore aisles brimming with timeless history and wonders. My goal is to shed light on the experiences one misses out on when shopping online. These experiences include engaging with passionate and knowledgeable staff, savoring the nostalgic aroma of used books, and uncovering hidden gems within endless bookshelves. To further advance my message, I aim to partner with esteemed organizations such as indiebound.org to preserve the small business economy that has suffered even more after COVID and the rise of online enterprise.

  • Target audience: Book readers and consumers, people who already find joy in reading physical books.

  • Intended message: Visually engage an audience of book readers to encourage them to buy books in person and support local indie bookstores.

  • Point of encounter: Set up in high-traffic areas such as train stations, malls, and airports.

Campaign Plot

Click on each cover to see the juicy details!*

Novel Connections

This poster presents the personal connections forged within indie bookstores. Laden with rich history and knowledge, small business owners and employees offer more than just books—they share stories and wisdom, fostering novel human connections and relationships.

  • The hands passing books to one another symbolize the unparalleled sharing of knowledge one gets from small business book store owners. It also directly represents book trading.

Used Book Aroma

Even if you're not an avid book reader, you're familiar with the iconic nostalgia of a bookstore. There's nothing quite like that aroma of paper and coffee as it wafts to your nose. This poster was created to remind others of that scent and the sense of discovery that typically follows.

  • The large fluffy smoke cloud you see hyperbolizes the nostalgia one gets from smelling an indie bookstore's iconic sweet book and coffee aroma.

Escape Into Shelves

Walking into a new bookstore is always a unique experience; the shelves are arranged differently, there are new books to uncover, and cool alcoves to discover. This poster captures the moment of losing or finding yourself among the shelves.

  • The person walking into the bookshelves represents you, the audience, getting lost while hunting for the right book.

Animated Digital Posters

This poster is animated to visually depict the variety of smells one experiences when reading used or new books. It also represents how each person's olfactory (smell) memory of bookstores is different. Whether it's the old dusty smell, the fresh new printer ink, or the scent of cinnamon coffee, everyone has a nostalgic memory to latch onto.

Journeying through a new bookstore can be a thrilling experience. You never know what to expect, and each indie bookstore is different. Sometimes you get lost, both physically and mentally. I wanted this animation to present both of those aspects of losing yourself in a bookstore. It's okay to tune out of reality for a bit and just let the books take you to a new world.