savannah bay jubilee

Savannah Bay is the successor to the first female-owned bookstore in the Netherlands, De Heksenkelder. To celebrate the 50-year anniversary of both Savannah Bay and De Heksenkelder, a three-day jubilee was organised.

The bookstore is run by volunteers, from the register to the back office. In July 2025, I started as a back-office volunteer, but quickly also became involved in graphic design. For this jubilee, I designed the poster, flyer, and roll banner, as well as a style guide so that other volunteers could create additional materials, such as the jubilee zine.

For the design, I didn’t want to rely on the first ideas that come to mind when people think of bookstores. Instead, I wanted to extend the theme of the event into the imagery. The event is called “Stories of Belonging, Between Refuge and Resistance.” I reflected on what Savannah Bay means to me. It is a safe place where everyone can be themselves, a happy place. A place where people talk, read, and share their inspirations. A place that gives hope. Savannah Bay’s colours already include a warm yellow-orange, so a sun-like shape felt fitting, just as Savannah Bay itself gives light. For the typography, I chose a simpler style with generous spacing between the letters. My focus was on making it easy to read and easy for the other volunteers to work with.

Want to know more about Savannah Bay or the jubilee? Click this link:
https://www.savannahbay.nl/stories-of-belonging/