Graphic Design: Multistorey design a charmingly non-cheesy educational book for kids

Date
6 May 2014

Educational design is no mean feat, the boundary between accessible, engaging and incredibly cheesy being a difficult one to tread, and I’ve never seen it achieved with the aplomb that Multistorey have managed in Discovering Architecture, the publication they designed as part of the V&A museum’s back-pack guides.

Intended for kids aged seven and over, the book combines interactive elements including puzzles, games, and drawing exercises with a number of nice additions, like adding a fold-out page for a building that’s “too big to fit,” and a selection of “architect’s tools," in the set square and protractor built into the cover. It’s charming and earnest, incorporating relevant nuggets of information and overcoming all the teeth-grindingly cute clichés of educational design that I remember my schoolbooks falling into, heartwarming speech bubbles and overuse of exclamation marks included.

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Multistorey: V&A Discovering Architecture

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Multistorey: V&A Discovering Architecture

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Multistorey: V&A Discovering Architecture

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Multistorey: V&A Discovering Architecture

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Multistorey: V&A Discovering Architecture

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About the Author

Maisie Skidmore

Maisie joined It’s Nice That fresh out of university in the summer of 2013 as an intern before joining full time as an Assistant Editor. Maisie left It’s Nice That in July 2015.

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