Sarah Edmands Martin

DESIGNER

Associate Professor
University of Notre Dame

Designer, artist, and scholar working at the intersection of visual communication design, critical fabulation, and media aesthetics. 


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Field Guide

Book design, book cover design, map design2015
A field guide designed as a takeaway from the exhibit The Princess & The Beast, featuring interviews, original illustrations, regional maps, puzzles, and creative fiction.     






Concept


Print collateral for the exhibition, The Princess & The Beast, this field guide was designed as a take-away for the exhibit and includes interviews with key community stakeholders, maps, history, and local folklore. At first glance, the design presents an artifact———something unearthed from a forgotten archive———yet upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that it’s a meticulously crafted contemporary design object. This interplay between historical reference and modern storytelling is where the true brilliance of this piece emerges.

book cover design
map design
illustration
publication design
layout design
the archive
creative direction
photography



exhibited at the Snite Museum of Art
 in Hesburgh Library permanent collections













The exposed linen spine nods to the craftsmanship of old-world bookbinding, reinforcing the illusion of historical authenticity while adding a tactile, human element to the guide. The muted blue tones, soft paper textures, and distressed photographic elements seamlessly weave together a narrative that feels both archival and immersive—an object that could belong in both a museum collection and an adventurer’s bag.

The typographic treatment is restrained and elegant, leveraging classic serif fonts that evoke academic journals and historical documents, yet with a modern lightness that keeps the composition from feeling overly rigid. The hierarchy is expertly handled—subtle, yet clear—allowing the reader to flow through the guide as though they were unraveling a mystery. Delicate use of small caps and italicized flourishes further the impression of an official document, reinforcing its believability as a hybrid of fact and fiction.









“Stories, even the most fantastic, can and do reveal realities. When you look closely, the line between the authentic and the make-believe begins to blur. This traveling exhibit, The Princess & The Beast, likewise slips between fact and fiction—reflecting a precarious contemporary moment where truth is hard to pin inside a velvet case and the is mediated, designed just for us. Just like any good story, a museum asks us to collude in its version of truth. So, gathered here are marginal tales you may or may not know: recollections and anecdotes like hierlooms passed down through generations. Here is the stuff of dreams (and nightmares). Here, are monsters.”


Field Guide, pg. 7Sarah Edmands Martin
E 99 .P8 M365 2015
Available in Hesburgh General Collections or through InterLibrary Loan.










The inclusion of a map spread is a standout moment within the guide. Its execution is reminiscent of vintage cartography, using a monochromatic base layered with contemporary infographics. The restrained color palette—blues for water, deep reds for areas of intrigue or danger—guides the eye naturally through the fictionalized geography. The use of a subtle overprint effect makes it feel like an aged, well-worn document, further blurring the lines between past and present.

The key in the top-right corner of the map plays with expectation—categories like "Ghost River" and "Indian Burial Mound" provoke curiosity while being framed with contemporary design conventions, reinforcing the narrative duality of myth and reality.

This field guide is more than just a book—it’s a portal. It invites the reader to suspend disbelief, to explore a world where documentation and folklore merge into a single, immersive experience. The combination of archival aesthetics with modern design principles not only enhances readability but strengthens the book’s role as an experiential artifact.






By striking a delicate balance between nostalgia and contemporary storytelling, this piece doesn’t just present information—it crafts an atmosphere, a sense of place, a whispered invitation to explore. This is design as world-building, executed with nuance and sophistication.