2025
Aesop RetoldPublication; Packaging; Visual Identity
In our early years, Aesop’s Fables are a well-known tool for teaching moral lessons and providing ethical guidance, but are often confined to the form of children’s illustration books. Their lessons of patience, humility, resilience, and self-awareness carry timeless wisdom that resonate deeply in today’s world, yet are often left behind.
I begged to challenge this notion and thus this project began with the question:
In an age defined by anxiety, overstimulation, and self-doubt, how can these ancient stories be retold once again to help us ground ourselves and reconnect with reality?
Each book is 4x6” - intentionally pocket-sized - so that it is able to be be carried as a grounding object. In anxious or overwhelming moments, they can act as a portable anchor to reality. The designs invite one in for a meditative and contemplative experience, creating a reflective space for emotional and mental grounding.
Book 1
Inch By Inch
The Crow & The Pitcher; As Told by Aesop
The Crow & The Pitcher tells the classic tale of perseverance and patience, proving that little by little does the trick. The visual identity of this book mirrors the story - droplets of ink on the page echo the pebbles the Crow dropped into the pitcher. The typography translates the words into their own marks, conveying their context and part in the overall story.
Read the fable
The Crow & The Pitcher; As Told by Aesop
The Crow & The Pitcher tells the classic tale of perseverance and patience, proving that little by little does the trick. The visual identity of this book mirrors the story - droplets of ink on the page echo the pebbles the Crow dropped into the pitcher. The typography translates the words into their own marks, conveying their context and part in the overall story.
Read the fable
In a spell of dry weather, when the Birds could find very little to drink, a thirsty Crow found a pitcher with a little water in it.
But the pitcher was high, and had a narrow neck, and no matter how he tried, the Crow could not reach the water.
The poor thing felt as if he must die of thirst.
Then, an idea came to him. Picking up some small pebbles, he dropped them into the pitcher one by one.
With each pebble, the water rose a little higher, until at last, it was near enough so he could drink.
Book 2
The Future is Now
The Astronomer; As Told by Aesop
The Astronomer tells the story of a man so lost in the stars, that he falls into an all-so-evident well right at his feet. The spreads in this book contrast open space with visual distraction, reflecting the quiet of the present moment against the noise of wandering thoughts, reflective of the Astronomer’s own occupations.
Read the fable
The Astronomer; As Told by Aesop
The Astronomer tells the story of a man so lost in the stars, that he falls into an all-so-evident well right at his feet. The spreads in this book contrast open space with visual distraction, reflecting the quiet of the present moment against the noise of wandering thoughts, reflective of the Astronomer’s own occupations.
Read the fable
A man who lived a long time ago believed that he could read the future in the stars. He called himself an Astrologer, and spent his time at night gazing at the sky.
One evening, he was walking along the open road outside the village. His eyes were fixed on the stars. He thought he saw there that the end of the world was at hand, when all at once, down he went into a hole full of mud and water.
There he stood up to his ears in the muddy water, madly clawing at the slippery sides of the hole in his effort to climb out. His cries for help soon brought the villagers running.
As they pulled him out of the mud, one of them said: "You pretend to read the future in the stars, and yet you fail to see what is at your feet! This may teach you to pay more attention to what is right in front of you, and let the future take care of itself."
"What use is it," said another, "to read the stars, when you can't see what's right here on the earth?”
Book 3
The Silver Lining
The Stag & His Reflection; As Told by Aesop
In The Stag & His Reflection, a stag ends up in danger after after becoming so fixated in his own reflection, in pursuit of what he thinks is better. The design of each page focuses on reflection and symmetry, echoing the stag’s gaze into the water.
Read the fable
The Stag & His Reflection; As Told by Aesop
In The Stag & His Reflection, a stag ends up in danger after after becoming so fixated in his own reflection, in pursuit of what he thinks is better. The design of each page focuses on reflection and symmetry, echoing the stag’s gaze into the water.
Read the fable
A Stag, drinking from a crystal spring, saw himself mirrored in the clear water. He greatly admired the graceful arch of his antlers, but he was very much ashamed of his spindling legs.
"How can it be," he sighed, "that I should be cursed with such legs when I have so magnificent a crown."
At that moment he scented a panther and in an instant was bounding away through the forest.
But as he ran his wide-spreading antlers caught in the branches of the trees, and soon the Panther overtook him. Then the Stag perceived that the legs of which he was so ashamed would have saved him had it not been for the useless ornaments on his head.
Book 4
Slow and Steady
The Tortoise & The Hare; As Told by Aesop
Arguably Aesop’s most famous fable, The Tortoise & The Hare teaches that “slow and steady wins the race”, as a boastful hare, overconfident and arrogant, loses a race to a patient and persistent tortoise. The typography and design of this book contrasts fast, streaky marks, representing the hare’s speed, with steady, blocky, marks reflecting the tortoise persistent pace.
Read the fable
The Tortoise & The Hare; As Told by Aesop
Arguably Aesop’s most famous fable, The Tortoise & The Hare teaches that “slow and steady wins the race”, as a boastful hare, overconfident and arrogant, loses a race to a patient and persistent tortoise. The typography and design of this book contrasts fast, streaky marks, representing the hare’s speed, with steady, blocky, marks reflecting the tortoise persistent pace.
Read the fable
A Hare was making fun of the Tortoise one day for being so slow.
"Do you ever get anywhere?" he asked with a mocking laugh.
"Yes," replied the Tortoise, "and I get there sooner than you think. I'll run you a race and prove it.
The Hare was much amused at the idea of running a race with the Tortoise, but for the fun of the thing he agreed. So the Fox, who had consented to act as judge, marked the distance and started the runners off.
The Hare was soon far out of sight, and to make the Tortoise feel very deeply how ridiculous it was for him to try a race with a Hare, he lay down beside the course to take a nap until the Tortoise should catch up.
The Tortoise meanwhile kept going slowly but steadily, and, after a time, passed the place where the Hare was sleeping. But the Hare slept on very peacefully; and when at last he did wake up, the Tortoise was near the goal. The Hare now ran his swiftest, but he could not overtake the Tortoise in time.