A Shaping Conflict

book illustration case study

overview

This project was for my psychology class, I worked with Amandine, Kirsten, and Jayvee. My team and I created a children’s book designed to teach young children about conflict resolution. While conflicts occur at all ages, we chose to focus on early childhood, as young children often face everyday challenges such as not wanting to share, taking things without asking, or crossing personal boundaries. Through relatable characters and simple real-life scenarios, the book aims to help children recognize conflict and begin to develop basic problem-solving and social skills.

project info

March 2025

Group Project

tools

project info

March 2025

Group Project

tools

overview

This project was for my psychology class, I worked with Amandine, Kirsten, and Jayvee. My team and I created a children’s book designed to teach young children about conflict resolution. While conflicts occur at all ages, we chose to focus on early childhood, as young children often face everyday challenges such as not wanting to share, taking things without asking, or crossing personal boundaries. Through relatable characters and simple real-life scenarios, the book aims to help children recognize conflict and begin to develop basic problem-solving and social skills.

challenge

One of the main design challenges I faced was creating background illustrations that wouldn’t distract from the main characters, since the goal of the book was to clearly show conflict situations that children could relate to. The backgrounds had to be visually supportive without becoming the focal point. I also had to carefully choose colors that were eye-catching and appealing to children, while still keeping the overall look simple and clear. Balancing visual interest with clarity was key to making sure the story remained the main focus.

my roles

My role in this project mainly involved creating the background illustrations for each “case” presented in the book. I was responsible for visually setting the scene in a way that would be engaging and easy for children to understand. In addition to the illustrations, I also collaborated with Amandine on the overall layout of the book, helping with the organization of text and images to make sure the story flowed clearly and was visually appealing. This project was done in one week.

solutions

To solve this challenge, I designed soft and simple backgrounds using a watercolor brush on Adobe Fresco to create a dreamy, gentle atmosphere. This style helped support the story without distracting from the characters, allowing the focus to stay on the emotions and conflicts in each scene. Every background was carefully created with colors and composition that would catch a child’s eye while still feeling calm and balanced.

my process

The first step was brainstorming the overall tone and feeling we wanted for the book. How could the visuals feel friendly and gentle, while still showing a conflict clearly? I took inspiration from the Monsieur Madame children’s book series. I liked how their visuals are simple, colorful, and easy for kids to understand without too much detail. From there, I created rough sketches to map out the setting for each case. I asked myself: what is the bare minimum we need in the background for the scene to make sense? Then I moved into Adobe Fresco, where I used a watercolor brush to bring those settings to life, soft textures, light tones, and a dreamy feeling that wouldn’t steal attention from the characters. Throughout, I checked in with my teammates to make sure the background supported the message and felt consistent across all pages.

brainstorm

choosing the colors

As a team, we decided to use primary colors because they are some of the first colors children learn in kindergarten. These colors are also bright, eye-catching, and help grab children’s attention easily. We wanted to keep the visuals simple yet engaging, so the colors could support the storytelling without overwhelming it.

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the results

The final backgrounds helped tie the entire story together. They stayed subtle but playful, supporting the emotion of each case without overwhelming the characters. Using the watercolor textures made the visuals feel more approachable and child-friendly, which matched the tone of the book. I was really proud of how the colors and shapes worked together to highlight the problem-solving moments in each story.

key learning

One key thing I learned was how to simplify my illustrations while still making them visually interesting. I also learned how to design with intention — thinking about how every element affects how children experience and understand the story. And finally, I learned the importance of teamwork and communication, since getting feedback helped improve my work and stay consistent with the group’s vision.