Creation of The DK2 Design Adult Coloring Book
In May, I attended an eWomenNetwork luncheon where I met many women business owners and walked around booths that were set up around the room to showcase talents, products and provide information about some of the featured businesses. Towards the end of the luncheon, I went back to the booths and was talking with a member there who has been a successful mentor helping entrepreneurs with their tax and write-offs. I met Jonathan Bengel, who sparkled with a fabulous jacket and booth setup. I saw a copy of his book, “The ABC’s of Deductions; An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Tax Write-offs” was sitting on the table. I asked him more about his book and our conversation took off. We spoke about how to network, the types of business coaching would be helpful, the ins and outs of a startup and we even started chatting about energy and the intuition needed to be successful. I revealed to him my latest inspiration of using energy, reiki, the law of attraction to call in clients whose energy aligns with my own. We continued to discuss the power of positive thinking and creation of business products. He told me, “You need to write a book.”
That night I thought a little bit more about what Jonathan had said. I NEED TO WRITE A BOOK…
I had registered to join the eWomenNetwork a couple months prior and with that registration I knew I would be receiving my own booth in the June eWomenNetwork luncheon. So, I started to think of what I could offer that would be exciting for other business minded women. “You should write a book…” kept popping up in my head. But I don’t have that kind of time. It takes weeks, months to write a decent book. And what would I write about exactly?
One morning, I woke up thinking about what I had dreamt about. It was so simple, so clear…
CREATE AN ADULT COLORING BOOK! Oh my gosh, that’s it! I didn’t have time to write up my life story, but I did have time to create a coloring book. I hopped on my computer and started looking up printers, pricing and doing my research on what others have been doing. Research is a big part of all the design that we do. The ideas started flowing in and I realized this was totally doable.
First idea, I wanted the book to be square but large enough that you can color on it. So, I looked at the largest sizes the printer would offer in a square format. Bingo, 8.5 inches by 8.5 inches, this is a perfect size where you can still fit within a folder or carry onto a plane pretty easily.
Second idea, will I want this book created for markers or colored pencils? You have to think about the medium that people will want to use. I looked up all sorts of materials. I decided to go with the thickest paper I could use with the printer to make sure that there would be no bleed through.
Third idea, what types of shapes do adults want to color? I was thinking about things I get interested in and the psychology of coloring and the stress release that comes with that. I decided to go with Mandalas since they are simple yet the pattern is hypnotizing and therapeutic.
Things started to come together. Creation, finally!
I organized shapes and mandalas to look good on the pages. I was able to add messaging in the front panel and a call to action in the back of the book. Okay, I now have something for my copywriter, Melanie Stern to help me out with. I’m so very grateful for her talents, I’m not a writer by any means and she just has a gift to take words and messages and make them beautiful. I might need to ask her to massage this blog post as well… but I digress.
The internal messaging seems perfect, but I’m stuck on the title. Myself, Melanie and Kirstin went over all types of names for the Adult Coloring Book. We finally agreed on “Color My World: Mandalas”. With the subhead “Adult Coloring Book Volume 1” at the bottom of the cover. I also incorporated a DK2 Design logo into the cover for people to also be able to color in the design.
I uploaded different versions of the design, funny enough, I had to learn the printer’s online tool to get the page layout just the way I wanted and with no page numbers and having to keep in mind which pages will print where was more difficult than you think. All mandalas had a place in the layout so I went between electronic and print to make sure that the right designs were in the correct spots. That’s layout design for you. Learning tools, changing layouts, connecting with the printer to make sure everything is perfect is all part of the job.
Once I had the design where I wanted it, I ordered 50 books to be sent out to me. The deadline was a week before my luncheon display booth. I was a little nervous but it all worked out perfectly. In June, I was able to display my new creation and share it with other members. I found Jonathan and shared with him my story on how his suggestion sparked not just a book but a coloring book that could be used for relaxation. We exchanged books and took a photo together.
I can now picture a businesswoman taking my creation with them on their plane rides home, or while they are needing a break from the stress at work and coloring. Imagine destressing and unplugging from your computer for 30 mins or longer and just coloring like you did when you were younger. What a therapeutic release!
If you haven’t received your free ebook from me in person, you can now go online and give us your email and download your own ebook in a pdf format. Click here: https://dk2design.com/color-my-world/
I hope this DK2 Design Coloring Book gives you as much joy as it gives me.
-Danielle Knox
Hi, I'm Danielle. I followed my father's footsteps in becoming a Graphic Artist. I have been a designer for 20+ years in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. I have worked on a variety of projects and can help you create your branding vision on anything from print to web.
Manuel Felix
June 24, 2022 at 5:37 amAwesome coloring book and cool idea.
Danielle Knox
June 24, 2022 at 8:50 amThank you Manuel! I would love to see posts or the art you create, just tag #DK2colorbook <3