Illustrada Design Portfolio

A sampling of Paul Nylander’s book designs

Bold, daring book covers are crafted to capture attention.

Meticulously designed interior layouts focus on readability and an immersive experience.

Each unique design combines a personal touch with universal appeal, resonating at first sight and leaving a lasting impression.

Illustrada is crafting books that open our eyes, expand our minds, and enrich our souls.

A lovely collection of hand-drawn birds with personality, this picture book makes birding accessible for all ages.
The cover featuring three illustrated women connected via dotted lines to a computer monitor. The book lies on top of another copy open to an interior page.
Creator to Community Builder is a visually appealing and practical guide for business owners interested in building and scaling their businesses through online communities.
Dust jacketed cover and open to sample spread of "Sacred Rivers" book. Cover features an old photo of author in a white dress sitting among yellow flowers, while the interior spread shows the author in black and white sitting cross legged.
Sacred Rivers transforms a collection of heartfelt blog entries into a beautifully designed tribute, honoring Theresa King’s life and legacy with warmth and creativity.
If David Sedaris and P.G. Wodehouse had Covid, this is how it might have gone. A Memoir cover design project, with additional marketing elements.
Closed book sitting atop the book open to show a chapter opening page. The cover features the title "The 'W' Word" with an illustrated daisy growing from a crack in the pavement.
An intimate journey of love, loss, and resilience, The 'W' Word invites readers to discover hope and beauty in the unexpected paths of widowhood.
The "Falling Rock" cover and sample interior spread. The cover features an illustrated native woman with a feather in her hair and silhouettes of pine trees at the bottom of her white dress. In the background is the silhouette of a fallen warrior in front of purple mountains.
A tender tale of love, courage, and timeless connection, Falling Rock follows the journey of a Miwok warrior on a quest to save his beloved and their future.
Capturing the essence of thought-provoking research on how AI will change everything.
Little (pink) houses are the visual hook and a narrative device in this evocative memoir for women at an identity crossroads.
Unveiling the design story of “Don’t Fear the Sharks,” a blend of strategic aesthetics and practical wisdom.
A look at the cover and interior text of the book.
A spooky campfire tale blends into Ojibwe cultural motifs in this YA thriller.
The book cover features a mexican grandmother and her yound grandson in her lap. Inside the book, the two are working to make tortillas and a color assortment of illustrated kitchen jars are in the background.
This beautiful multigenerational story proves that love has no language—it is felt, heard, seen, and even tasted.
Cover and a sample interior spread of "Sylvie's Silence." Cover features a stylized illustrated girl with blue eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair, with a harsh scar running the length of her right cheek, and a small tear coming from her right eye.
A twelve-year-old girl, silenced by a scar and shadowy memories of a tragic past, embarks on a journey of self-discovery and courage in the unforgiving landscapes of 1959 Northern Minnesota.

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