Freedom Reads Website
Freedom Reads is an initiative to bring a curated library of books to prisons and juvenile detention centers across the country. We worked closely with founder Reginald Dwayne Betts to design the project's website, which served to introduce the initiative to a broader audience, highlight key partners, and encourage donations and other forms of support. Bookshelf-themed design and parallax scrolling helped bring the website to life.
We believe in creating custom web experiences that can't be replicated. Our hero was hand illustrated with detail and care to emphasize the impact of profound literary work on the minds of book recipients.
Typography
We chose the MoMA-exhibited typeface, Redaction, for two reasons: First, it was designed by Freedom Reads founder Reginald Dwayne Bettes and Titus Kaphar. The beauty and meaning behind this movement is infused into the letterforms, so we designed the layout to feature them prominently, emphasizing their impact with ample negative space.
After the website was live, Freedom Reads partnered with journalist Emily Bazelon on a project called the Prison Letters Project. The project includes a database of letters written by prisoners whose cases have been bungled by the justice system or hit procedural walls. We worked with the team to add the database to the Freedom Reads website, allowing the public to learn more about individual cases and reach out if they want to help. This work was featured in the NYT, and we couldn’t be more proud!
