Iowa State Fair A to Z

Project Overview

Iowa State Fair A to Z by Coach Sloth is an alphabet picture book that uses the structure of the ABC as a framework for celebrating one of America’s most iconic community events. Each letter introduces a different aspect of the Iowa State Fair — animals, rides, food, entertainment — building a cumulative portrait of a place that means something real to the families who attend it year after year. Coach Sloth writes with genuine affection for the fair and for Iowa, and the result is as much a keepsake as a learning tool.

The illustration challenge was giving each letter its own visual energy and fair-specific character while maintaining a cohesive atmosphere across all 26 spreads — the fairground’s colour, noise, and community warmth needed to feel present on every page, making the whole book feel like one continuous, joyful day at the fair.

Role

Full book illustration across 26 alphabet spreads covered Iowa State Fair environment, food, and activity illustration, crowd and community atmosphere design, visual cohesion across a multi-spread alphabet format, and print-ready file preparation.

The core challenge was giving each letter its own visual energy and fair-specific character while maintaining a cohesive atmosphere across all 26 spreads, so the fairground’s colour, noise, and community warmth felt present on every page, making the whole book read like one continuous, joyful day at the fair.

Process

Every project follows this same structured path, so you always know where we are and what comes next. You review and approve at the sketch stage and the line art stage — nothing moves to color until you’re happy. By the time the final spread is rendered, there are no surprises.