NOW/NEXT was published in English. Because BPL serves a diverse community, it also commissioned MTWTF to create a multi-lingual summary version of the strategic plan, made available for free to anyone using the library and interested in understanding its mission.

MTWTF designed the summary as a broadside, capable of presenting information in two distinct ways. When unfolded, a poster boldly lists BPL’s core principles. When folded, a booklet presents BPL’s organizational vision in texts, quotes, and images.

The broadside is printed in black ink on gray newsprint to match its companion publication. On one side, the library’s five core principles appear in large, bold, condensed type, making them easy to read when the sheet is displayed on a wall.

On the other side of the sheet, the library’s principles appear again, in bold, surrounded by explanatory text. A zig-zag fold presents four pages at a time, each page featuring information translated into a different language–Mandarin, Spanish, Russian, and English. The selected fonts act as a single type family.

The booklet can be folded to position any language on its cover.

BPL’s yearlong self-assessment revealed that the programs that best served its users were the innovative, community-based initiatives organized by branch librarians, acting on their own. The 2018 Strategic Plan aimed to support and foster these initiatives, which reinforce the library’s overarching belief that the dignity and exhilaration of learning belong to everyone. BPL asked MTWTF to design a publication and launch strategy announcing this plan.

MTWTF created a “living document.” A modest book illustrating core principles and effective programming was printed for board members and funders, but emphasis was placed on creating launch events and post-launch social media that would engage local communities and transfer ownership of the strategic plan back to the branch libraries.

The small, perfect bound publication is printed primarily in black ink on gray newsprint. The typography is straightforward: large, bold condensed headlines on the cover, and medium-sized text inside. Quotes from staff articulating BPL’s values are set large and scattered throughout. Halftone images featuring programs in progress run throughout the book.

Text is divided into three sections: “Now” lists core principles; “Next” outlines plans for future growth; “Spotlights” presents case studies of branch activities that put principles into action.

Blue ink used to print the Spotlights section forms a visual link to similar sections on BPL’s website and social media stream.

To reach a wider audience with information about its Strategic Plan, BPL commissioned MTWTF to create an e-reader version of the NOW>NEXT publication for its website.

The e-reader version of the NOW>NEXT publication asserts the identity of printed pieces in the series while respecting the identity of BPL’s website.

The e-reader’s navigation lists sections on the upper right. Content emphasizing the library’s five core principals and three focus areas is reconfigured under Now and Next. Heading on a bold typographic list expand to reveal text and images.

The Spotlights section takes the form of a vertical column of episode boxes, each linking to a full-page feature. BPL’s in-house team launches new Spotlights seasonally. Both the main and individual Spotlights pages utilize the blue color palette of the Spotlight publication section and social media posts.

BPL maintains multiple communication streams across a variety of social media platforms to connect with its constituents. It commissioned MTWTF to design social media posts that would link viewers directly to Spotlights episodes on its website.

To stand out on a busy communications stream and hold viewers’ attention, MTWTF animated the Spotlights social media posts. Templates allow in-house library staff to post new Spotlights every few months, which keep the living document alive.

Spotlights posts animate quotes from library staff that illustrate BPL’s core principals. Delivered one word at a time, quotes appear as if they are being spoken, heightening the drama of the language itself. Dark blue type writes onto a bright blue background, punctuated by a white “Spotlights” signature.