Quarto Books

Designing a mindful guide to creative living

Book entitled "Conscious Creativity" on a teal background. Cover shows a paint-splattered wooden surface with flowers, leaves, chalk sticks, and a magnifying glass arranged across it. White title text reads "Conscious Creativity" with the subtitle "look, connect, create," and author Philippa Stanton is credited at the bottom.

We were commissioned by Leaping Hare Press, an imprint of Quarto Books, to design Conscious Creativity, a book that encourages readers to explore creativity as a daily practice. Author Philippa Stanton introduces exercises and reflections aimed at helping readers slow down, notice more, and reconnect with their own imagination.

Open book spread from Conscious Creativity showing a chapter opener titled “Atmosphere and Nothing,” with the subtitle “Embracing the silent mass and stories held in our surrounding spaces.” A full-bleed photograph depicts a lived-in studio interior with a fireplace, flowers in vases, art tools on shelves, and two seated figures partially visible at either side.

Our role

We designed the cover and internal layouts, creating a flexible framework that could hold practical tasks, reflective passages, and inspiring visuals.

Creative approach

Colour and space were used intentionally to give the reader moments of pause and inspiration throughout. The design ensures the book feels calm, accessible and inspiring.

Open book spread from Conscious Creativity featuring a grid of photographic studies in red and blue tones. Images include paired red bottles, thick red paint texture, shoes viewed from above on a blue floor, weathered blue surfaces, red and blue architectural details, a plant against painted walls, corrugated metal, and a seaside sign and sky, exploring colour, texture, and everyday forms.

Impact

The book positions creativity as a tool for mindfulness and wellbeing, and its design reflects the same balance of clarity and inspiration at its core.