Overview
Healing House Publishing came to me with a manuscript that was already something special. From Me to Me: Love Letters to the Homes We Leave Behind is the debut poetry collection from poet and storyteller Belén López Exertier — a bilingual, deeply personal exploration of heartbreak, identity, and what it means to find home again after you’ve left everything behind.
Written across three continents — Buenos Aires, Barcelona, Australia — and in two languages, the book needed a design approach as layered as the work itself. Vanessa at Healing House Publishing knew that. This wasn’t a project to hand off and hope for the best.
Project Goals
I was brought in to design the full package: cover and complete interior layout for a bilingual poetry collection destined for both print-on-demand and offset production. Before a single concept was drafted, I held a strategy call with Vanessa and Belén together — so the design decisions that followed were grounded in the story, the symbolism, and what the book needed to feel like in a reader’s hands.
the outcome
I developed three distinctly different cover and layout concepts — each a genuine direction, not a variation on the same idea. The concept Belén responded to was closest to what she’d already imagined, but refined: specific symbols drawn from within the poetry itself woven into an illustrated Barcelona sunset skyline. A woman at her notebook. A plane ticket. A suitcase. A camera. Each element earning its place.
The interior presented its own challenge. The original plan — English and Spanish poems running side by side — fell apart in practice. Poetry doesn’t translate at equal length, and the parallel columns disrupted the rhythm of every poem on the page.
The solution was a flip book format: English on one side, Spanish on the other. Each language with its own uninterrupted space. Both voices held within one spine. It solved a structural problem and became a design feature in its own right — one that mirrors the duality at the heart of Belén’s story.
Inside, Belén’s delicate hand-drawn illustrations were integrated as notebook-style doodles throughout the text — intimate and unhurried, like discovering someone’s travel journal. Thematic sections (heartbreak, home, dream, reflection) were given distinct headings, and the typesetting was refined to support the emotional arc: considered spacing, gentle pacing, a layout built for slow, meaningful reading.
the transformation
The finished book is structurally sound across both print formats, visually cohesive across two languages, and emotionally aligned with the story it carries. The flip format transformed what could have been an awkward reading experience into something that feels intentional — because it is. The cover does what a great poetry cover should: stop someone mid-scroll and make them want to know what’s inside.
For Healing House Publishing, the result is a debut they can stand behind — one that positions both the author and the press with the credibility this kind of work deserves.
When Belén saw the final concept — the one that matched what she’d pictured but couldn’t yet articulate — that was the moment. The strategy call at the start made all the difference. Understanding the symbolism within the poetry, not just the aesthetic around it, is what allowed the design to land exactly where it needed to.
A book made to be felt. And now, it looks like it.
print design wizardry
Whether you’re creating a memoir, a magazine, or an e-book, I offer comprehensive design services to bring your vision to life. With a keen understanding of the nuances of print and digital media, I can design everything from captivating covers to fully formatted, ready-to-print layouts. If you’re looking for professional book design that aligns with your brand or personal story, I’m here to help make your project a success.