Design and Illustration for History Workbook / Textbook Series (ATA)

Greetings! My name is Brian Park and I'm the CEO of a small publishing company based in South Korea. We specialize in unique educational materials that are story driven and illustration-heavy. I'm looking for an illustration and design team that can help me produce a history workbook targeted for grades 2-5. Here is a description of the project. I'm looking forward to reading your cover letters and viewing your portfolios of similar or related work in education, publishing, or media. Please specify if you can handle both the illustration and design aspects with your team. Our goal is to complete the project in less than one year. There are three books with four volumes each. In total, the book series will consist of well over 500 pages. I will be asking for a mock-up sample before committing. The time spent on constructing the sample pages will be compensated according to an agreed upon hourly rate. Attached is a sample page mocked up by Chat GPT. It doesn't have to look exactly like this, but this should give a general idea of the aesthetic we are looking for. Below is a full description of the project. Thank you! Across the Ages Illustration & Design Project Description Project Overview Across the Ages is a children’s history series designed to feel less like a traditional textbook and more like an old-school role-playing video game guidebook. The reader follows two main characters, Kairos and Mirae, as they travel through different periods of human history. Rather than simply reading about historical events from the outside, students are meant to feel as though they are inside the game, traveling through history, completing missions, gaining knowledge, unlocking items, and making decisions along the way. The visual inspiration comes from the feeling of classic video-game handbooks and early console RPGs. We especially want the pages to have the approachable, information-packed feel of the Minecraft Handbook series, combined with the digital visual language of an 8-bit or 16-bit Nintendo-era RPG. The final result should feel like a history textbook disguised as a game guide. ________________________________________ Core Visual Concept The book should look like a printed version of a retro video game interface. Imagine that a student has opened a strategy guide or quest manual for an old Nintendo or Super Nintendo game, except the “game world” is actual human history. The visual style should combine: • History textbook content • Retro RPG interfaces • Pixel-art illustrations • Character dialogue windows • Mission and objective screens • Item and skill unlocks • Inventory-style icons • Side notes and guide commentary • Maps, facts, vocabulary, and historical explanations The design should feel intentionally somewhat simple and old-fashioned. We do not want highly polished modern fantasy illustration. Instead, the charm should come from the feeling that this could have been artwork from an old computer game or a 1990s console RPG. ________________________________________ Illustration Style The preferred illustration style is: Retro 8-bit to 16-bit pixel art The artwork should generally resemble graphics from the early Nintendo through Super Nintendo era. It should be: • 2D • Flat • Slightly pixelated • Colorful • Friendly • Expressive • Easy for children to understand • Somewhat simple in an intentional and humorous way The artwork does not need to imitate the technical limitations of an actual NES game exactly. The illustrator can use enough detail to make characters expressive and environments interesting. The target is closer to a stylized 16-bit RPG look than extremely crude 8-bit graphics. Characters should still have recognizable expressions, poses, clothing, and personalities. Historical environments should be visually interesting without becoming highly realistic. ________________________________________ Main Characters Kairos Kairos is the main male player-character. Visual characteristics: • Blue hair • Energetic • Curious • Impulsive • Adventurous • Often points, runs ahead, investigates, or acts before thinking Kairos represents the instinct to act quickly and discover things through experience. His name comes from the ancient Greek idea of the “right” or “opportune” moment. ________________________________________ Mirae Mirae is the main female player-character. Visual characteristics: • Pink hair • Calm • Intelligent • Observant • Thoughtful • Often examining something, thinking, or considering different possibilities Mirae usually thinks before acting and weighs the advantages and disadvantages of a decision. Her name means “future” in Korean. Together, Kairos and Mirae represent two different approaches to solving problems. The reader effectively plays as both characters. ________________________________________ The Future Guides Three additional characters communicate with Kairos, Mirae, and the reader from the future. These characters should appear constantly in the margins of the book. They function almost like RPG party members, mission control, or commentators watching the player. Their portraits can appear inside small dialogue windows. ________________________________________ Sarah Sarah is the responsible one. Her personality is: • Practical • Intelligent • Serious • Organized • Mission-focused Sarah usually gives genuinely helpful instructions. Examples: “Find water first. Then look for food.” “When food runs low, it’s time to move.” Her visual interface color could consistently be something like red, coral, or orange. ________________________________________ Sonic Sonic is calm and helpful. He usually explains game mechanics, missions, or what Kairos and Mirae should do next. His personality is: • Relaxed • Logical • Helpful • Slightly detached Examples: “You’re not ready for hunting yet. Gather what looks safe.” “A river is a smart next stop. It gives you water and food.” His visual interface color could consistently be blue. ________________________________________ Jaden Jaden is the comic relief. He frequently gives comments that are unnecessary, immature, or technically true but not particularly useful. Examples: “Don’t drink the brown water. Trust me!” “I hope there’s a shortcut. My feet hurt already.” Jaden should often look slightly ridiculous. His expressions can be exaggerated. His visual interface color could consistently be green. ________________________________________ Page Design Philosophy The margins are extremely important. The book should not simply consist of a block of text with occasional illustrations. The entire page should feel active. There should constantly be small things for the reader to notice around the main reading passage. A typical page might contain: • Main historical text • One large environmental illustration • One or two small character illustrations • Sarah commentary • Sonic commentary • Jaden commentary • Historical fact boxes • Vocabulary explanations • Items • Objectives • Mission instructions • Game statistics • Maps • Icons • Arrows • Small jokes • Footnotes The effect should be similar to looking at a video-game strategy guide. Even while the student is reading the main text, the margins should make it feel like the “game” is still happening. ________________________________________ Main Text Area The historical reading passage should remain highly readable. The center or main portion of the page should contain the actual history lesson. The visual design around it can be energetic, but the text itself should never become difficult to read. The page should therefore have a clear hierarchy: 1. Chapter / Mission Title 2. Main Illustration 3. Historical Reading 4. Side Commentary and Game Elements Students should be able to follow the lesson normally while discovering additional information around the edges. ________________________________________ Recurring Game Elements The book should develop a consistent visual language for the following recurring features. OBJECTIVE Used when Kairos and Mirae receive a specific task. Example: OBJECTIVE Find food, water, and shelter before nightfall. This should resemble a quest or mission window. ________________________________________ MISSION Used for major story objectives. Example: MISSION Survive long enough to discover how early humans lived. ________________________________________ ITEM UNLOCKED Historical objects can become RPG-style items. Example: ITEM UNLOCKED Woven Basket Use this to gather food and carry supplies. The object should appear as a small pixel-art inventory icon. This allows ordinary historical objects to feel exciting. Later examples might include: • Stone axe • Spear • Pottery • Wheel • Papyrus • Bronze sword • Compass • Printing press • Telescope ________________________________________ Skills Historical developments can also become skills. Example: SKILL GAINED Foraging You can now identify and gather useful plants. Other possible skills might include: • Hunting • Farming • Sailing • Writing • Metalworking • Trade • Navigation • Engineering These should resemble RPG ability unlocks. ________________________________________ Did You Know? Short historical facts should appear in colorful information windows. Example: DID YOU KNOW? Not all early humans lived in caves. Many people built temporary shelters from wood, branches, and animal skins. These should feel like optional bonus information rather than required textbook reading. ________________________________________ Mission Tips These are quick practical explanations. Example: MISSION TIP Rivers were extremely valuable because they provided water, fish, fertile soil, and transportation. ________________________________________ Vocabulary Important historical words can also appear in small interface panels. For example: VOCABULARY Nomad — a person who moves from place to place instead of living permanently in one location. Forage — to search for food. These should visually resemble information windows or game menus. ________________________________________ Party / Character Status Occasionally we can include playful RPG-style status screens. For example: PARTY STATUS Kairos ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ Mirae ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ Jaden ❤️ ❤️ 🖤 These do not necessarily need to represent actual gameplay mechanics. They are primarily there for humor and immersion. ________________________________________ Margin Commentary One of the most important design features is the use of side margins as active storytelling space. Small portraits of Sarah, Sonic, and Jaden can appear beside their comments. Their dialogue should feel like NPC communication windows or radio messages. Sometimes they will: • Explain something • Warn the player • Introduce an objective • Make a joke • Give a historical fact • React to what Kairos and Mirae are doing The margins should therefore feel like a second conversation happening around the lesson. ________________________________________ Historical Illustrations Large illustrations should show Kairos and Mirae physically moving through history. For example, in the first chapter they may appear: • Walking across a prehistoric grassland • Gathering fruit • Watching early humans hunt • Carrying baskets • Looking at animal tracks • Helping build a shelter • Moving camp • Approaching a river Later chapters might place them: • Inside an ancient Egyptian city • Along the Nile • In Mesopotamia • On a Greek trireme • In ancient Rome • Along the Silk Road • Inside a medieval castle • On an Age of Exploration sailing ship • During the Industrial Revolution Kairos and Mirae should visually remain recognizable even as their clothing changes to fit different historical periods. ________________________________________ Historical Characters Important historical figures may occasionally appear in the same pixel-art style. The intention is not to create highly realistic portraits. Instead, historical figures should look like recognizable RPG characters within the same visual world. Their clothing, objects, and environments should still be historically understandable. ________________________________________ Interface Design The book should contain a consistent system of retro game windows. These might include: • Blue information windows • Green inventory windows • Gold fact boxes • Red warning boxes • Pixel borders • Arrow cursors • Selection triangles • Small icons • Hearts • Stars • Shields • Maps • Scroll icons • Compass icons • Water drops • Coins • Inventory slots The exact color system can be developed by the design team, but once established it should remain consistent throughout the series. For example: Sarah: coral/red Sonic: blue Jaden: green Items: green Facts: yellow/gold Objectives: red/coral Mission Tips: blue ________________________________________ Typography Headings can use pixel-style or block-style fonts. Examples: CH. 1 — THE EARLIEST PEOPLE THE FIRST NOMADS ITEM UNLOCKED! MISSION START Main reading text should use a much more readable font. It does not need to be pixelated. The contrast between readable modern body text and retro interface typography will probably work best. ________________________________________ Overall Tone The book should feel: • Adventurous • Funny • Slightly chaotic • Educational • Smart • Accessible • Nostalgic • Game-like It should not feel like a serious academic textbook. At the same time, the design should never make the history feel meaningless. The game mechanics exist to make the history more memorable. The core idea is: History itself is the adventure. Kairos and Mirae are not merely reading about historical events. They are traveling through them. The student is traveling with them. ________________________________________ Desired Reader Experience When a child opens the book, the immediate reaction should ideally be: “This looks like a video game.” Then, after reading for a few minutes: “Wait—I’m actually learning history.” The design should encourage students to explore every part of the page. They should want to look at: • The character dialogue • The pictures • The item boxes • The mission objectives • The facts • The maps • The vocabulary • The small visual jokes The page itself should feel like something to explore. ________________________________________ Key Design Principle The most important principle for the entire project is: Do not design a history textbook and decorate it with game graphics. Instead: Design a video-game guidebook whose subject happens to be human history. The RPG concept should influence the illustration, page layout, icons, margins, chapter structure, and visual storytelling from beginning to end. That distinction is central to the identity of Across the Ages.