500 PAGE BOOK

What could I possibly make 500 pages worth of?

Prompted to create a 500 page book based off of personal concept, I decided to create a “contemporary hope chest”. A hope chest was originally used for women and was a physical chest where they would store items that they would use in wedlock (ex. plates, cuttlery, linens, etc). I thought that an interesting spin and a more contemporary take would revolve around the physical items that families may want to pass on to future generations, whether it be necessary items and information or it just be something worth knowing. I categorized the sections into “What you might actually need/want” and “I just want you to see this” and went from there collecting ephemera from my own family and creating a book for myself and a guide for others that want to preserve a piece of their heritage in a compact way.

2025, 500 Page Book, Richmond, VA

ABOUT

Sarah Brooks is a graphic designer at Virginia Commonwealth University in the School of the Arts. She is primarily interested in careers concerning Design, Creative Advertising, and Brand Development/Management. She holds a passion for building interpersonal connections through design, diversity of materials, and working with children.