Steve LaFrance's Portfolio

The Barbara Bush Foundation, dedicated to improving literacy, sought new content for their Book Explorers program, which targets 1st through 3rd-grade students. This program, designed to help struggling readers, consists of over 50 titles and is provided exclusively in digital format to ensure accessibility for families in all circumstances.

Three tiers of content were created for the program: student storybooks, parent guides, and mentor guides (for older reading coach students). To facilitate easy navigation, the entire collection was color-coded by grade level and content type. Additionally, all materials were designed with mobile-friendly usability in mind, ensuring that the content could be seamlessly accessed and read on tablets or smartphones.

Story Book Cover

Story Book Page

Parent Guide Cover

Parent Guide Page

Mentor Guide Cover

Mentor Guide Page

Growing Up RC, written by the son of renowned theologian R.C. Sproul, reflects on the memories and life lessons passed down from father to son. The challenge in designing the cover was to capture the profound connection between the two. To visually convey this bond, a silhouette of both R.C. Sproul Sr. and his son was created, symbolizing their relationship and the lasting impact of the father’s teachings.

Combustible Punch follows Rick, a struggling writer who turns to alcohol to cope with a severe case of writer’s block. His life takes a dark turn when he meets Harriet, a self-confessed serial killer. Rick becomes obsessed with her, deciding to make her the subject of his next book, which forces him to dive deep into her dangerous world.

Given the book’s themes of murder and alcohol, the cover concept uses a double entendre to reflect these elements in a bold and engaging way. The title itself—Combustible Punch—was visually interpreted with a playful, bright design, incorporating the explosive mix of danger and dark humor that defines the story. The cover captures both the intense and unpredictable nature of Rick and Harriet’s world, while drawing readers in with a fun and striking illustration.

Blue Plastic Stool is an anthology featuring a diverse collection of flash fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction by both foreign and local writers living in Vietnam. The book’s cover design draws inspiration from the rich cultural heritage of Vietnam, reflecting the vibrant and unique atmosphere of the country.

To complement the eclectic mix of writing, a static page layout was developed to preserve the distinct style of each author, ensuring that their individual voices remained true to the original content.

Blue Plastic Stool is available for free on both the iBook and Kindle stores, offering readers worldwide the chance to experience this eclectic anthology.

Steven Deaton, founder of Bibleinfo.co, developed a daily prayer journal for women and sought a series of unique covers to complement the journals. The design brief called for covers that were abstract, graphical, and visually appealing to a female audience.

A total of 10 distinct covers were created, each featuring a blend of modern, minimalist elements with subtle religious undertones. Some of the designs were repeated in alternate color schemes to offer variety while maintaining a cohesive visual identity across the series.

Feliks, the creator of ColorByFeliks, wanted to create an eBook that would help his fans understand how to mix acrylic paints to achieve various color shades and tones. The goal was to make the content both informative and visually engaging without overwhelming the reader.

To achieve this, a clean and simple layout style was developed, featuring “paint-styled” headers and pull quotes that complemented the content while remaining easy to read. Working closely with Feliks, we created a set of custom illustrations to visually demonstrate how blending primary colors can produce all the colors on the color wheel, helping readers better understand the process of paint mixing.

The Violet Weaver, the first book in the ‘Awestruck Trilogy’, is a fantasy novel set across three distinct island nations. The book’s setting and provided illustrations played a key role in shaping the cover design.

The front cover prominently features a large, framed illustration of the main characters, capturing their importance to the story. On the back cover, the same framing element is used, along with illustrations of the islands, to add visual interest and enhance the thematic connection to the novel’s world. To give the cover depth and richness, a light texture was applied to the background, subtly adding color and visual interest while keeping the focus on the illustrations.

This personal photographic documentary explores life in a mobile home, capturing how a collection of random, unrelated items can coexist within the constraints of a small space. The design of the cover and interior layout reflects this theme by bringing the disorganized subject matter into a balanced and cohesive presentation.

The layout was carefully crafted to provide structure while maintaining the chaotic nature of the subject matter. To help readers navigate this potentially confusing environment, a clear navigation system was integrated into the design, offering orientation and guiding the viewer through the visual and thematic layers of the story. This system ensures that the documentary remains accessible and engaging, even as it explores the complexities of living in a confined space.

The book cover for Into the Haze was created as part of a design contest and proved to be a highly enjoyable project. The concept behind the cover was to capture the mysterious and atmospheric elements of the story, while balancing creative composition with visual impact.

Unfortunately, due to an unreliable internet connection while abroad, the design was never submitted, and the client never had the opportunity to see the final concept. Despite this, the project remains a memorable creative endeavor.

Carnival at the Crossroads follows the story of a young girl who embarks on a daring quest to chase down a carnival run by Baron Samedi in order to rescue her friend. Aimed at younger readers, the book required a cover design that struck a balance between whimsical and dark—capturing the story’s adventurous spirit without veering into anything too frightening.

Drawing from the author’s direction and the themes within the story, a layered illustration was created to reflect the intrigue and mystery of the carnival, while maintaining a sense of fun and wonder. The design sought to visually encapsulate the essence of the tale—an enchanting, yet slightly eerie journey filled with both danger and magic.

Bull is set in the late 1800s and follows a cast of offbeat characters in a traditional western hero chase. While the cover needed to reflect the western genre, it was important to take a fresh approach and avoid the typical “horse and cowboy” imagery often associated with the genre.

Instead, the cover concept focused on a western six-shooter, an iconic symbol of the era, paired with an illustration of a creature central to the story. This approach created a unique visual identity that still captured the essence of the western theme while highlighting the book’s distinct and unconventional characters.

Head in the Ice is set in Victorian London, where the discovery of a woman’s head in the frozen Thames sets the stage for a dark and gripping mystery. Two distinct cover concepts were developed to reflect the eerie atmosphere and time period of the story.

The first concept took a more graphical, traditional thriller approach, using bold imagery that hinted at the grisly nature of the discovery. The design aimed to immediately catch the viewer’s attention with a chilling and suspenseful visual.

The second concept drew inspiration from the Victorian era itself, using an illustration style reflective of the period. Decorative elements were carefully chosen to allude to the story, subtly hinting at the mystery while evoking the historical setting in a more subdued, atmospheric way.

Watcher follows the story of a protagonist who spends most of her time at home, observing her neighbors through her home security system. After witnessing a crime, she is forced to confront both the moral dilemma of what to do with her knowledge and the limitations of her own involvement.

The cover concept visually captures this theme by featuring a woman using the lead character’s method of surveillance—watching through a security system. This imagery was then seamlessly blended with elements typical of thriller and suspense genres, creating a sense of tension and intrigue. The result was a cover that not only conveyed the protagonist’s unique perspective but also set the tone for a gripping, suspenseful narrative.

Lost and Hollow serves as a prequel in the Edgar Vincent thriller series. Unlike the previous books, which were set in rural environments, this story takes place in an urban setting. The challenge for the cover design was to capture the essence of the protagonist’s journey through a city landscape, reflecting the shift from the isolation of rural environments to the complexity and anonymity of urban life.

The cover concept focused on portraying Edgar Vincent against the backdrop of a gritty, cityscape, using visual elements that highlighted the contrast between the protagonist and the bustling, often chaotic urban environment. This design approach aimed to set the tone for a fresh chapter in the series, one that combines the familiar thriller elements with the intensity of city life.

Double Down is an action/mystery novel set in Miami, Florida, during the early 1970s. To capture the essence of both the time and place, two distinct cover concepts were developed.

The first cover used cartoonish Florida imagery—evoking the vibrant, sun-soaked landscapes and atmosphere of Miami in the ’70s. This approach tied directly to the setting, capturing the energy of the city and its cultural backdrop.

The second cover took inspiration from the story’s pivotal starting point—a moment central to the plot. This design approach focused on an action-driven element from the book, visually hinting at the suspense and mystery that unfolds as the story progresses.

Hauling Checks is a satirical novel that follows a group of pilots tasked with flying cashed checks across the country, navigating treacherous weather in aging aircraft. The novel’s dark humor and absurdity are reflected in the cover design, which uses ironic illustrations to highlight the pilots’ dangerous, often comical working environment.

The cover concepts were designed to evoke the contrast between the absurdity of the pilots’ situation and the serious, high-stakes nature of their job. By focusing on exaggerated or humorous depictions of their aircraft and the hazardous conditions they face, the covers capture the book’s satirical tone while also drawing attention to the perilous world these characters inhabit.