balikbayan box: journey to the philippines

Illustrated and designed the Filipino language book, Balikbayan Box by Jocelyn Francisco, Ph.D. The balikbayan box is rooted in the Filipino custom of pasalubong, or gifts sent to loved ones when returning from a trip. Balikbayan Box is a language-learning children’s book that introduces simple terminology in traditional Tagalog to describe a little gift box’s many adventures as it travels across the world and into a small town of the Philippines.

One the the greatest challenges of this book was using handwritten letters to make up the main copy. Francisco asked her daughter, Amelia, to write the book’s transcript by hand so that I could then turn it into a working font. I studied Amelia’s handwriting, rewrote the letters, and adjusted the kerning so that all letters were legible. I called the typeface Amelia and created Bold and Regular variations so that the English/Tagalog text would have contrast.

By designing the box in an isometric position and keeping its surroundings darker than or other than its Spanish yellow color, the box was easily recognizable throughout the story. The background colors also change throughout the book to invoke a sense of passing time and to mark a different time zone.

Contracted by Little Yellow Jeepney