Modernized Children’s Book

For this book design, I drew inspiration from Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Match Girl, reflecting on themes such as poverty, abuse, longing, loneliness, belief, and innocence. The chosen title, “A Match,” guided me to explore these themes in a contemporary way, blending modern aesthetics with the timeless nature of the original story. My design of the book is abstract, with the imagery leaning heavily on interpretation, intended as a modern and mature approach to a children’s story.

Visually, I focused on contrasts like dark vs. light and cool vs. warm, with the only source of warmth and life coming from the fire itself. This creates an emotional distance, echoing the girl’s isolation while playing with the notion of absence and presence. The photographs, shot by me in the present day, were purposefully designed to feel ambiguous in terms of time period, bridging the gap between the 1845 story and today. Through this design, I sought to give a modern, nuanced voice to the original narrative.