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V. Lukianov
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Case study 01Children's book · Self-published

Feli & Co

Geschichten aus der Schnurrburg

Illustrated poems about cats that introduce children and parents to animal welfare and responsibility. Designed from the first character to the print file.

  • Editorial
  • Illustration

Key figures

  • 54Pages
  • 25+Original illustrations
  • 2Editions: softcover & hardcover
Client
Felidae Kleintierschutzverein am Rosengarten e.V., Halle
Year
2024–2025
Role
Illustration, book design, typesetting, prepress
Discipline
Editorial · Illustration · Print

01Background

Explaining animal welfare without wagging a finger.

Felidae, a small-animal welfare charity in Halle, wanted to introduce children to animal welfare, responsibility and proper pet care: clearly, age-appropriately and in a way that makes reading fun.

The starting point was a collection of poems about cats by Jeannette Döbold. The book had to reach two audiences at once: preschool and primary school children who listen and look, and parents who talk it through with them. It was to be self-published with tredition, in softcover and hardcover.

  • Two cats in dresses unwrapping a present in a pink children's room
  • An elegant lady cat in a hat in a rocking chair, a mouse in a yellow dress in front of her
  • Two cats in rain gear jumping through autumn puddles
  • Two cats baking in the kitchen under a thought bubble full of ingredients
  • A pirate cat with a sabre and a parrot on a beach next to a treasure chest
  • Cats celebrating a birthday with cake, balloons and bunting
  • A cat in a bobble hat rolling snowballs with a mouse
  • A cat family by the Christmas tree in front of the fireplace
  • Cats with angel wings eating cake on clouds, two of them flying a red plane
  • Two cats in dungarees in a wheat field, a grasshopper sitting on one's head

Ten of more than 25 illustrations

02Tasks & execution

Visual language, characters, typesetting, cover and print files from one hand.

I was responsible for the complete visual execution, from the image concept to the final print file.

  1. 01Age-appropriate visual concept for preschool and primary school children
  2. 02Concept and design of all illustrations and characters
  3. 03A custom layout and typography system, no pre-made templates
  4. 04Cover for both the softcover and the hardcover edition
  5. 05Page structure for two audiences: children and parents
  6. 06Illustration and photography in one cohesive visual system
  7. 07Print-ready files to tredition's technical specifications

From sketch to cover

The pencil sketch became the finished cover almost unchanged.

Finished colour cover: a black-and-white cat in a blue shirt and jeans on a flower meadow
Red pencil sketch of the cover: a cat in a shirt lying in a meadow, title and back text already set
Open book: two cats baking on the left, the poem “Tina und Tino, Besuch bei Freunden” with a cake on the right
Spread: poem and picture work together
A fanned-out stack of “Feli & Co” books
Cover

03How a page is made

Every cat in the book is real. This is Joe.

Each page pairs a children's rhyme with an illustration. The characters are based on real cats that found a home or foster place through Felidae. Using Joe, the charity's office cat, here is how one page comes together.

  1. 03.1

    The real cat

    Photos and notes on Joe's looks and personality are the basis for the character.

    Photo of Joe the cat: a black cat with yellow eyes, photographed close up from below
    Photo of Joe sitting on parcel boxes in the charity's office, a pinboard and cat food tins behind him

    Notes on Joe

    • 17 years old, needs medication every day
    • Slim body, dull coat with a few white hairs
    • Whiskers of white and black hairs
    • Big black snub nose, big eyes
    • Large, pointed ears, a small corner missing on the left
    • Calm and relaxed, walks slowly and a bit wobbly
    • A little frail, but alert and grateful
  2. 03.2

    The rhyme

    The text sets the scene. A real Mau-Mau card game served as reference for the game in the rhyme.

    Kater Joe

    Der arme, kranke Kater Joe

    sitzt traurig vor seinem Katzenklo:

    „Keiner will mit mir spielen und raufen,

    kann ja kaum noch richtig laufen.

    Meine Augen sind müde, die Kniee knirschen,

    vorbei ist es mit Jagen und Pirschen.

    Und jeden Tag habe ich zweimal einen

    Termin für Pillen und bittere Medizin.

    Aber vielleicht kommt wenigstens heute mal

    Besuch vorbei, für ein Stündchen oder zwei.“

    Joes bester Freund Suri ist ganz schlau,

    sagt: „Komm, Joe, da spielen wir jetzt erstmal eine Runde Mau-Mau.

    Denn beim Kartenspiel bist du doch immer der stolzeste Gewinner.“

    Und mit einem frohen Miez-Miez-Mauz

    teilt Joe die Karten aus.

    Old, ill Joe feels nobody wants to play with him any more, until his best friend Suri suggests a round of Mau-Mau, the card game Joe always wins. (Original German rhyme.)

    Reference photo: a Mau-Mau card game with box and cards laid out
    Reference: the card game from the rhyme
  3. 03.3

    Sketch & character

    First the scene in pencil, then character studies for Joe and his friend Suri. In version 1 Joe was still light-coloured; version 2 is closer to the real cat: black, with glasses and a walking stick.

    Pencil sketch: two elderly cats with glasses sitting at a table, a walking stick beside them
    First sketch
    Character studies of Joe and Suri: version 1 light in red and blue, version 2 black with purple clothes
    Character studies: version 1 and 2
  4. 03.4

    Line & colour

    The sketch becomes clean line art, then colour goes on. Joe appears twice in the book: playing cards with Suri and as the office cat at his desk.

    Colour illustration: Joe and Suri playing cards at a round table, a sign on the wall reads “Beste Freunde auf Samtpfoten”
    Red line art: Joe and Suri playing cards at a table
    Colour illustration: a grey cat with glasses and a tie at a desk, name plate reading “Felidae-Büro-Kater”
    Red line art: a cat with glasses and a tie at a desk
Open book on a wooden table showing the illustrated table of contents
Table of contents
tredition imprint page crediting Vikki Lukianov for illustration, cover design, typesetting and layout
Imprint: illustration, cover, typesetting & layout
Turquoise mailing tube with a label made of book illustrations, its lid beside it
Mailing tube with book motifs

04Beyond the book

Puzzles, colouring pages and a cat alphabet.

  1. 01Contributed to a themed alphabet on cat welfare and care
  2. 02Child-friendly motifs and concepts for every letter and topic
  3. 03Designed explanatory texts that help parents raise sensitive topics
  4. 04Additional book sections with puzzles and colouring pages
  5. 05Playful interactive elements based on the illustrations
  6. 06Stylised portrait of the author and an illustrated self-portrait
  7. 07Adapted and extended the illustrations for further formats
  • Vignette: presents, gift bags and a nutcracker
    Presents
  • Vignette: party table with fish rolls, cake, confetti and a party hat
    Birthday

05Skills

What this project demonstrates.

  • Editorial design & multi-page book layout
  • Typography and layout systems for children's books
  • Consistent visual systems
  • Integrating illustration, text and photography
  • Audience-oriented visual communication
  • Prepress and print-ready artwork
  • Interactive and educational print design