Designing a Collaborative Book: Preserving Excellence in the National Park Service

This artifact showcases a collaborative book project titled The National Park Service: The Best Idea We Ever Had, completed as the final group assignment in a Technical Editing class. The project involved writing, editing, designing, and compiling a professional-quality book. As the project manager and an active contributor, I coordinated the workflow, ensured deadlines were met, and played a critical role in the development and delivery of the final product. The book was deliberately designed with a rustic aesthetic to reflect the spirit of the National Park Service.

Background

The goals of the project included:

Creating a polished and cohesive book on the history and significance of the National Park Service.
Applying advanced technical editing skills to ensure clarity, consistency, and adherence to a professional style.
Designing the book to reflect the character and feel of the National Park Service, incorporating its signature color scheme and typography.

The deliverable was a professionally designed book, accompanied by a detailed style sheet.

Objectives

The primary objectives of this project were:

To collaboratively write and edit content that highlights the historical and cultural importance of the National Park Service.
To ensure consistency in tone, style, and formatting using a team-developed style sheet.
To reorganize responsibilities within the team following a group member’s departure and maintain project momentum.
To design the book with a rustic, NPS-inspired aesthetic, ensuring it would feel at home in a National Park Service gift shop.

Outcome

The project achieved the following results:

A professionally written and designed book that demonstrates teamwork and advanced editing skills.
A cohesive style sheet detailing formatting, grammar, and design standards for consistency.
A visually striking book with a rustic feel, featuring an NPS-inspired color scheme, typography, and thematic elements.
A distinctive colophon shaped like the NPS shield, serving as a proud design highlight.

Approach

The project began with creating a team contract to outline roles, responsibilities, and deadlines. As project manager, I oversaw task assignments, coordinated meetings, and maintained team alignment with project goals. Following a team reorganization due to a member’s departure, responsibilities were redistributed among remaining members to ensure all aspects of the project were completed on time.

Our team focused on designing the book to reflect the identity of the National Park Service. We incorporated an NPS-inspired color palette and typography, along with rustic design elements, to evoke the parks’ timeless charm. The layout and formatting were meticulously crafted to ensure readability and visual appeal.

One of the most notable design elements is the colophon at the end of the book, which we crafted in the shape of the iconic NPS shield. This feature exemplifies the attention to detail and creativity we brought to the project. Using the collaboratively developed style sheet, we revised the document for consistency and ensured a professional, cohesive final product.