Edward Fella Inspired Children's Book

a book inspired by

Edward Fella written and designed by

Caitlin Lu

Made to be Broken Caitlin Lu Boston University

Introduction This book draws inspiration from the graphic designer, Edward Fella. Ed worked in advertising and commercial design. Outside of his professional career, he also created experimental pieces. The graphics are inspired by his lecture series posters, which he made to advertise talks he gave at the school where he taught, CalArts.

This book is inspired by Edward’s life and follows a character named Ed, who is also a designer. Ed struggles to break free from design rules due to public approval but soon meets Liberty, a rule breaker. Ed is introduced to their mentor, who helps inspire him to design beyond the given rules.

In the center of a busy city in California, there lived a fella named Ed. 7

Every morning, Ed had his breakfast of cEreal. It felt boring and mundane. Like every morning, after breakfast, Ed would get ready for work. He was a designer.

He loved expressing himself but felt so trapped in rules and guidelines.

8

He looked in the mirror and felt a part of him was broken.

9

“Is this it?”, he thought to himself.

10

There was a lot of confusion.

11

Ed’s thoughts spiraled and spiraled. He has never felt so trapped in his life.

12

Something wasn’t right. He pushed his feelings aside and got into his car away from his home.

13

Ed’s home was rigid and simple and it only reminded him of the tension in his mind between self expression and conformity.

14

Ed worked in a big office, where conformity was key, and he felt an immense pressure to always follow the established norms. His office building was filled with rule-abiding designers, and Ed was the perfect embodiment of them.

15

When he got to work, Ed was about to present his design, but a new idea sparked.

16

His heart sang:

17

“This would be so cool!”

It’s was different, but he loved it.

18

As he presented his idea, his coworkers shunned him— “THIS IS TOO OUT OF THE ORDINARY!!!!”

19

Ed felt like running away.

Everyone laughed at him.

He felt like he was going mad.

20

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23

Ed felt so alone in his office.

24

There’s so much pressure to be exceptional.

25

Ed left his office and went on a walk.

26

All he could think about was rules.

27

Rules.

28

Rules.

Rules.

29

In the midst of his thoughts, Ed saw someone.

30

Liberty was with their dog, Sketch. Sketch was a puppy and was filled with excitement as Liberty taught him new tricks. Liberty loved letting Sketch roam free and run around but they also wanted to give him some guidance and training.

31

It was love at first sight with Liberty. They were radiant and inspiring.

32

Ed took Liberty out to grab some coffee. The two of them talked about their inspirations and what makes them happy with their work.

Both found their conversation refreshing, and they quickly became friends.

33

Soon, Liberty introduced Ed to their mentor.

34

A few months later, Ed and the mentor ended up starting their own lecture series to teach designers to use their voice in their designs.

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But then—All of a sudden a panic hit Ed. “What is that?”

36

Fear. Ed felt like he was being chased.

37

All the letters. All the rules.

38

It all blurred together.

39

He took a deep breath and began his lecture: “Rules are meant to be broken!

This is a personal view!”

40

Ed felt complete. He didn’t feel broken anymore but instead proud to break rules. Ed drove back home and met Liberty.

41

The sky was filled with stars.

42

He knelt down and proposed to them, and the two continued to live happily ever after, designing to their heart's content.

43

Author’s Note Dear Readers, Thank you all for reading this book.

While writing this piece, I had my own reflections as a designer. I find Edward Fella a true inspiration. His transition from commercial work to designing for himself has been a guiding path for me.

As a graphic designer, I often grapple with the tension between practicality and engaging my audience. Fella’s fearless pursuit of self-expression has shown me that design can be both purposeful and self-expressive.

In sharing this tale, my deepest hope is to ignite that same sense of selfdiscovery and creative liberation in each one of you. May you find inspiration in these pages, and empower you to embrace your unique voice, just as Edward Fella did for me.

Warm Regards, Caitlin Lu

Ed struggles the balance between following rules and following his unique voice. Until one day he finds inspiration and finds courage to express himself through his art!