One Yellow Sun (Andrews McMeel, © 2021 Michael Arndt) is the second in the series of M books: see + read board books designed to promote the FUNdamentals of visual literacy. The book cleverly utilizes decreasing number and increasing size of perfectly circular die-cuts to teach counting, sizes, the colors of the spectrum, and how positive and negative shapes are interdependent. One Yellow Sun is a 2021 winner in the AIGA 50 books | 50 covers competition in both categories.

In a book so geometric and minimal where there are no true images, just solid colored pages whose die-cuts reveal other solid colored pages to form the every changing patterns, it was essential to find an equally geometric and minimal typeface, with perfect proportions and harmonious letterspacing. If it had an air of friendliness, all the better. Enter Neutraface, one of my favorite typefaces, inspired by the house numbers of the mid-century architect Richard Neutra.

My Heart Grows (Andrews McMeel, © 2021 Michael Arndt) is a die-cut board book for babies and toddlers which introduces the concepts of kindness to the littlest of beginning readers. The spreads are arranged in the order of the color spectrum and the rising chakras. Each die-cut forms an integral part of the illustration which exemplifies the simple sentence on the left about emotions which can make a heart grow. Each turn of a right page reveals a larger die-cut heart that when turned to the left frames the previous page's color. This creates a terracing effect of concentric rainbow hearts.

I chose VAG Rounded for its soft, rounded forms which not only recall babies, but also the simple curves of the artwork and rounded corners of the board book. Most importantly, it felt friendly and gentle—the perfect typeface to convey actions such as caring, hugging, sharing, helping, and loving.

My Heart Grows is the first in my own series of M books, designed to promote the FUNdamentals of visual literacy.