Kid President’s Guide to Being Awesome

Publication Design, Illustration, Hand-Lettering
2015

About the Book

From YouTube sensation to Hub Network summer series star, Kid President—ten-year-old Robby Novak—and his videos have inspired millions to dance more, to celebrate life, and to throw spontaneous parades.

In his Guide to Being Awesome, Kid President pulls together lists of awesome ideas to help the world, awesome interviews with his awesome celebrity friends (he has interviewed Beyoncé!), and a step-by-step guide to make pretty much everything a little bit awesomer. Grab a corn dog and settle in to your favorite comfy chair. Pretend it's your birthday! (In fact, treat everyone like it's THEIR birthday!) Kid President is here with a 240-page, full-color Guide to Being Awesome that'll spread love and inspire the world.

About the Design

Hours of hand-lettering, papercrafting, silly-face-photoshooting, and endless doodling went into this labor of love. The book features lettering on nearly every page, and intricate and detailed objects and sets made out of paper litter the book – resulting in an experience that is vibrant, youthful and fun.

Working with Robby and Brad on the art and design of the book was an absolute joy. They infectiously inspire creativity and positivity, and it shaped the direction of all of the work into a book that is full of their personality and sense of wonder.

The book made the New York Times Best-Seller List in Feb. 2015 and remained for five consecutive weeks.

The book's French-fold jacket comes off to reveal a hidden cover showing the messiness and DIY-style signature to Kid President.

Hand drawn Kid President's Guide to Being Awesome logo with lightning bolts and paper airplanes around a scroll
Messy brush lettering that reads Keep Going in white paint on a blue curtain backdrop

Each chapter title spread featured a hand-crafted scene out of paper cutouts and three-dimensional papercraft objects to introduce the theme.

Papercraft trees and hand-lettering for the first chapter spread
Cell phones made out of paper cutouts
Cardboard and paper 3D birthday cake
Hands grabbing a papercraft slice of birthday cake on a red background
Cut out photos of Kid President dancing in front of a kraft paper dance party scene
Slice of supreme and pepperoni pizza made out of paper cutouts
The True Story of Kid President layout design
Biography page design introducing Brad Montague and Robby Novak
Hand made paper cut outs of Kid President in a story book
Giant arrows made of cardboard telling readers to turn the page
Introduction spread about Robbie and Brad
Giant paper letters spell AWESOME next to an illustrated history of the word "Awesome"
Detailed encyclopedia pen and ink drawings on the origins of the word "Awesome"

A Pep Talk from Kid President to You

Kid President's classic Pep Talk was reimagined as a series of illustrations in a quirky, child-like style. Charcoals were used to create all of the line work, and a limited color palette as well as a new set of custom textures overlaid the charcoal lines.

A drawing of Kid President at a fork in the road and a bust of Robert Frost
Kid President's diagram of types of high fives
Detailed illustrations showing traditional high five techniques
Pen and ink drawings of high five styles
Stamp made of cardboard with a corndog drawing on it to mail your friend a corndog
Funny corndog recipe card designs
An eye chart designed to spell out Focus on the Awesome
Instructions on taking Brain Pictures by Kid President
An instant camera made out of paper and cardboard
Photo of Kid President looking out the window at a city taped above messy hand lettering
Giant paper cut out sunglasses telling people to Be Cool
Book spread of Kid President dancing around balloons and lettering that reads Don't be in a party be a party
3D bacon and cheese wedge made out of paper
Behind the scenes image holding up Kid President's red paper sunglasses
Kid President holding out a cupcake with an overlay of white paint brush lettering
Drawing of a high five with one arm snaking around and looping

#8. “Hello, person I’ve never met before. Here’s a high five!”

Drawing of a giant foam finger and pennant that says we are sometimes #1

#7. “My sports team is not always the best sports team.” 

This one is extra tough. It takes a big person to say that.

Illustrated diagram of types of hand shakes for kids
A retro tv set made out of cardboard paper
Brad and Robbie play together and lettering overlays the photo that says Help somebody who is younger than you
Kid President gives someone the toy in the cereal box and stands in front of a chalkboard
A drawing of Kid President next to a spilled box of Life cereal for an illustrated version of his Pep Talk video
Give the world a reason to dance! Kid President dances across the pages of the book
Kid President interviews Michelle Obama on a can phone
Kid President grabs a slice of birthday cake made of cardboard on a red background
Paper cut out cardboard letters telling readers to Remember that the world is bigger than your backyard

The title for "Remember That the World is Bigger Than Your Backyard" was first designed by hand, then cut out of cardboard, and overlays a photo by Kristi of her and Brad's backyard — the shadows on the photo and texture of the cardboard letters is more natural that way.

Kid President's book ends with a NEW pep talk for kids with a series of illustrations

A New Pep Talk

The same style of the original illustrated pep talk was applied to "A New Pep Talk," allowing the two children's book-style sections to bookend the 100 ideas to make the world more awesome.

Illustrations of heads as musical notes and lettering that reads We're all making a big song
Illustration of a boy and a cat trying to spell responsibilities on a chalkboard

The endsheets featured a hand-lettered wall of all 100 activities in the book.

Credits

"Kid President's Guide to Being Awesome" is written by Brad Montague and Robby Novak

Creative Direction
SoulPancake – Golriz Lucina and Shabnam Mogharabi

Art Direction/Project Management
Kristi Montague

Designer/Illustrator
Russell Shaw

Copywriting
Rob Franks

Project Management Assistant
Bethany Eldridge

Jacket Photography
Kristi Montague

Jacket Design
Russell Shaw with Irene Wang

Publisher
HarperCollins

Publisher Team
Dave Linker, Becca Webster, Emily Brenner, Nancy Inteli, Matt Schweitzer, Julie Eckstein, Cindy Hamilton

All Photographs by Kristi Montague (unless otherwise noted)

All Illustrations by Russell Shaw (unless otherwise noted)

Papercraft by Kristi Montague, Russell Shaw, Katie England and Bethany Eldridge

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