Kids in Disguise: Happy Lies & the Lesson of Truth
Evon Coleman
The project, Kids in Disguise, caters to children (ages 5+) in a very unique format. By incorporating a strong concept and a quirky but unique design aesthetic, this project challenges the reality of not what a children’s book is, but what a children’s book can be. The characters within the Kids in Disguise series are genderless, and because of that, endless possibilities are created when the terms ‘he’ and ‘she’ are removed from the picture. In addition, the story takes a look at different personality traits (generally based on emotions) and how those traits not only affect the main character, but their environment and everyone else around them. My physical book, titled Happy Lies & the Lesson of Truth, focuses on the story of one character (Happy Lies) and the experience of being honest. This story discussed the effects of how one can be deceptive and the possibilities, both good and bad, that can come from that. In combination with the illustrations, the story itself talks the reader on an emotional journey with the character Happy Lies. Through crafty illustrations and child-friendly yet sophisticated typography, the reader is able to experience a story that is surely not like any other.