Behind the Design of Fair Street

From the beginning, I knew the story needed room to breathe.

Fair Street - My Road to Voice of Maasai was designed to be more than a memoir, bringing together narrative, photography, and visual design in a format meant to be held and revisited.

Early in the process, designer Jacqueline “Jax” Mennenoh, developed a color palette and typographic system that gave the project its visual foundation and allowed the design to unfold with clarity.

Because the book grew out of years of creative work, collaboration, and travel, the design needed to reflect that layered journey. I worked closely with Jax to shape how the book would be experienced — from the cover to the interior structure that guides the reader through the story.

Images appear alongside the text not as decoration, but as part of the storytelling, fragments of places, people, and moments that shaped the work. Jax considered their placement and design carefully, allowing photographs and graphic elements to sit in conversation with the narrative rather than interrupt it.

A subtle thread motif is woven throughout the book, visually connecting sections and echoing the underlying idea of continuity — between places, people, and creative work over time.

Typography, pacing, and layout guide the reader through the story the way the experience unfolded: gradually, with space to reflect.

Books still matter as objects. When they’re designed thoughtfully, they become something readers return to.

As with the music we’ve created through Voice of Maasai, every book carries invisible craft behind the scenes. What appears effortless is shaped by dozens of decisions — structure, typography, pacing, and the small details that influence how a reader moves through a story. Thoughtful design gives a story room to breathe.

Thank you, Jax, for bringing clarity, design excellence and careful craft to the project. For a closer look at the design of the project and Jax’s photography and design studio, you can explore more here.

*Fair Street is available online and at BookPeople in Austin