Megan McMullen

Timeline: Jan-Mar 2024
Client: Rookery Books (independent bookstore)
Role: Sole Designer

The Challenge

Rookery Books, a local independent bookstore, needed a reusable email template to share book recommendations, promote events, and engage their community.

The template had to allow the team to update content independently, reflect the store’s cozy, literary brand identity, and remain accessible and easy to navigate.

My Contributions

As the sole designer, I managed the project end-to-end:

• Client Collaboration: Met with the bookstore team to define goals and content needs.
• Wireframing: Sketched low-fidelity layouts to explore options, then refined them into high-fidelity wireframes aligned with the brand.
• Design Execution: Built an interactive, reusable email template in Canva with editable sections for books and events.
• Usability Focus: Structured the template for clarity, accessibility, and ease of ongoing updates.

Process

Sketching & Layout

Initial low-fidelity sketches established the main sections:

• Welcoming header with branding and announcements
• Featured book spotlight
• Event promotions with calls-to-action
• Footer with social links and subscription options

Wireframing

High-fidelity wireframes refined typography, spacing, and colors to match Rookery Books’ identity. These prototypes were reviewed with the client for alignment.

Final Design

I built the interactive template in Canva, enabling the bookstore team to easily update book covers, titles, and event details without redesigning the layout.

Final Template Features

• Header: Logo and tagline for consistent branding
• Featured Book Section: Prominent space for book cover, title, and description
• Event Promotions: Flexible modules for signings, readings, or book clubs
• Footer: Social media links and newsletter subscription call-to-action

Final template designed to reflect Rookery Books’ cozy literary brand while ensuring easy updates by staff.

Results & Feedback

The reusable design allowed them to independently promote new books and events, reducing their reliance on outside help.

Rookery Books praised the template for its professional, brand-aligned look and ease of use.

What I Learned

This project strengthened my skills in designing scalable, client-friendly templates. I gained experience balancing aesthetics with functionality, and I saw firsthand how accessible, reusable design empowers clients to maintain consistency without technical barriers.