The Sock Escape Plan is a playful, illustrated children’s book designed to help kids develop organization skills through storytelling. The book follows a group of socks who are tired of being left scattered around the room and embark on an adventure to find a proper home. By using humor and engaging visuals, this project aims to make organization an exciting concept for young children.This project was developed as my senior thesis at Temple University, under the guidance of Jason Kernevich. Through this work, I explore how storytelling can encourage good habits while keeping children entertained.

I spent a long time shaping this story. At first, I planned to tell it from the boy’s perspective as he searched for his missing socks — just like many picture books that are told from a child’s point of view. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that telling the story from the socks’ perspective would be more fun, more unique, and ultimately more meaningful.I began by identifying the core emotions behind losing socks — frustration, mystery, and attachment — and reimagined them from the socks’ point of view. What if socks had feelings? What if they, just like their owner, longed for a home and wanted to stay together? By presenting the story this way, children might feel more connected to their socks, making them more mindful about keeping them organized — after all, no one wants to disappoint their little sock friends.Therefore, the story I created follows a little sock named Lulu and his friends, who, tired of being carelessly tossed around by their owner, decide to run away and find a real home of their own. The entire story is filled with adventure, humor, and a touch of suspense, keeping young readers engaged while gently encouraging them to develop better organizational habits in a fun and relatable way.

Storyboarding & Page Layouts: I experimented with different page compositions to balance text and illustrations, ensuring a smooth reading experience without overwhelming young readers. I also looked through many picture books online to better understand how others approach creative and playful layouts.
Because of time limitations, I didn’t start every page with pencil sketches. Instead, I began with blocks of color — since layout and color were more important to me at this stage. For example, if I needed to draw a table, I could easily sketch the objects on top of it later. But in my planning sketches, I had to first decide that a table would be placed there.

I explored different ways to make the sock characters visually appealing and full of personality. At first, I planned to use a simple black dot for each sock’s eye. But I soon realized that the socks needed more expressive features to show emotions clearly. So I redesigned the eyes to be more detailed and cute, which helped bring the characters to life and made them more relatable and charming for young readers.

For this project, I chose two typefaces: Afacad Flux and Crayonize. Most of the text is set in Afacad Flux, which I also use for my website and resume. I love this typeface for its clean yet friendly feel, and using it here helps maintain a sense of consistency across my personal branding.Crayonize, on the other hand, was a font I discovered through Adobe Fonts while searching for something more playful — something that would suit a children’s book. I instantly fell in love with its soft, fuzzy edges. It reminded me of the textured brush I use for shading in my illustrations, which made it feel like the perfect match.I used Crayonize for expressive dialogue within the story — like when the little sock shouts “Ahhh!” — because it captures that childlike, emotional energy so well. It’s also used for the title on the cover, helping set a fun and inviting tone from the very beginning.