Publishing Party Invitation 

and 

A Classroom Visit From a Graphic Designer

On Friday, June 1 from 5 to 7 pm at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg we will host a publishing party for both Kindergarten classes and their families. Anyone else from the community who wishes to attend may do so. The wonderful writing, illustrating, and publishing work that the children have done this year both with us and with their teachers Mrs. Foley and Mrs. Luce will be on display. Refreshments will be served. The party will be open house style--come when you can. We hope to be able to leave up the display throughout the weekend so anyone who can't make it can still see the cool projects that the kids have been working on.

How Monkey Tale Press and Candy Shop Press Got Those Awesome Colophons

In February, graphic designer Rick Murnane visited with both K classes. Publishers use graphic designers to create things like colophons (the little logo that appears on the lower spine of a book and/or book jacket), book jackets, colorful book display structures to ship to stores, and advertisements. Rick, an accomplished graphic designer (ever bought a carton of Our Family Farms milk? Rick drew and designed that now iconic packaging), generously volunteered his time to create colophons for both presses. Then he visited each class to explain his process--idea to finished design--and to unveil the colophons for Monkey Tale Press and Candy Shop Press. The kids were entranced!

When asked what it was like to present his work to a room full of five and six year olds, Rick said "There's nothing like seeing the joy of discovery in kids' eyes as the world opens up before them. It's fun to talk to children about Design, because they can always tell that what I do for a living isn't just a job, but is something that's fun to do."

On a more typical day, Rick works in Pittsfield, MA as a Product Designer for Interprint, one of the worldwide leading decor printers. What's a 'decor printer' you ask? Let's let Rick answer that: "Quite simply, we print paper that's used in the décor industry. In our case, we print designs on the decorative, top layer of paper that eventually becomes laminate material. When you look at a laminate countertop or floor, the design that you see is actually a printed paper layer, under a protective textured surface. We come up with many various designs and also print the paper, which then gets shipped to the manufacturer to be turned into the final product you see in stores." Bet you didn't know such an interesting, global company was in our neck of the woods! Oh--we might also add that Rick is married to Sarah Palmer. My kids have know him as "Uncle Wicky" since they were old enough to talk. It helps to have friends in high places, doesn't it? :)

You'll see the finished colophons up close at the publishing party, but here's a glimpse of Rick in Mrs. Luce's Class and in Mrs. Foley's Class. Thank you, Rick! And thank you to Interprint for giving Rick the morning off AND lending us some professional display supplies for our upcoming party!

Rick Murnane shows Mrs. Luce's class some of his design work.

Rick Murnane explains the creative process behind his colophon designs for Monkey Tale Press and Candy Shop Press to Mrs Foley's class.

Happy Reading!

--Jen