The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

For my final-year project at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, I embarked on a unique journey of redesigning Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a classic gothic horror story. Captivated by the book’s haunting atmosphere and eerie charm, I sought to reinterpret it with a modern yet faithful design approach.

Working alongside the Distillers Press in Dublin, I took on the traditional craft of hand-printing the cover of the book using the letterpress. I chose a striking blackletter typeface to reflect the eerie, medieval charm of the story, while infusing a contemporary sensibility into the design. I ventured into a local forest to capture black-and-white photographs of trees. These images were printed on translucent paper and integrated into the book, mirroring the journey of Ichabod Crane as he nervously made his way through the dark woods. This was to draw the reader into the protagonist’s unsettling experience. The combination of traditional printing methods and modern design allowed me to breathe new life into a classic tale, resulting in a visually captivating book that speaks to both its dark past and modern-day allure.

My passion for graphic design, printmaking, and storytelling shines through in this project, which demonstrates both technical skill and an understanding of the power of visual design to enhance narrative.