Legacy Projects
CELEBRATION OF PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS
MEMOIRS
FAMILY LEGACY PROJECTS
BUSINESS ANNIVERSARIES, ACHIEVEMENTS & HERITAGE
COMPLETE PRODUCTION FROM IDEA TO PRESS
SCANNING, RESTORATION & ARCHIVE MANAGEMENT
PRINT-ON-DEMAND SET UP FOR BOOK SALES
I provide a specialty service by fulfilling projects of long-lasting, prized value for individuals, families, and businesses. Some clients reach out to me with established project goals (i.e., a book or memoir); others need my help with idea development and presentation. I approach each project with the utmost commitment, care, and attention. Collaborative skills and patience are as essential as my technical and creative expertise, all of which have earned the trust and confidence of my clients. I’ve completed projects ranging from one-time small-run jobs to collaborations with larger commercial publishers and printers.
Working with folks on personal projects, especially senior citizens, has been incredibly rewarding. I adapt well to challenging situations, including hospital or retirement home restrictions and individuals with health or memory issues. A positive attitude, sensitivity to my clients’ needs and limitations, and continued encouragement help move projects forward without being too overwhelming. I guide them through the production and proofing process according to their needs and abilities. For example, one person may prefer paper-based or digital proofs, while another wishes for guided in-person reviews. My services include scanning and restoring photographs, organizing archives, and transcribing and editing text when needed.
Besides clients with personal projects, I also work with businesses to create customized products for special occasions, such as corporate anniversaries, client appreciation, project and company milestones, and employee recognition. Ideas are limitless and include custom books with company branding and logo, gift sets of personalised greeting cards, wall art, or chronicling projects such as a new plant construction for stakeholders. I’m experienced in working on jobs requiring digitizing and organizing archival material, press runs of all sizes, and print-on-demand sales setups. I use my client’s visuals or provide photography services to support entire projects or blend in with existing artwork. Please visit my PHOTOGRAPHY page.
Life in Europe
From the 1940s to the 70s
I had the honor of working with an American photographer and World War II veteran, John Livingstone. The goal was to organize his life’s work and self-publish a book of the most prized images he had taken while stationed in Europe from the end of WWII to the 1970s. I received decades’ worth of boxes full of negatives, slides, and prints, which I categorized, dusted, and filed into archival storage. Mr. Livingstone and I collaborated on the image selection, and when his health prevented him from full engagement later on, he put complete trust in me with the last creative decisions. After the final selection was made and the originals scanned, I digitally cleaned up the final files and, when needed, retouched the occasional damage. This project occurred during the 2020-21 pandemic when senior centers were closed to visitors. We spent months on the phone, with minimal in-person contact, discussing details and dictating captions I transcribed and edited. Life in Europe showcases Mr. Livingstone’s best work, which he could finally share with others before he passed the same year. I’m happy I could utilize my photo editing, photography, and graphic design skills to complete this unique and special historical and artistic legacy piece.
Client
John Livingston | photographer
Project
- Organization and archiving of life’s body of photographic work
- Digital image clean up, retouch and damage repair
- Image editing, sequencing and final selection
- Record, transcribe and edit captions
- Book design and set up for press
- ISBN registration
- Research print-on-demand printer options
- Submit final files to press
Pražské Podskalí 20. století
[Prague’s Podskalí of the 20th Century]
Jana Osbornová, an accomplished scientist, author, and Prague native, approached me as a Czech-born graphic designer and photographer to collaborate on a memoir about her beloved riverfront neighborhood called Podskalí. It is a collection of her memories and historical research, illustrated with archival photographs by local photographers such as Jan Šplíchal and a renowned street photographer, Dagmar Hochová. Mrs. Osbornová also hired me to take black and white images of specific locations to fit the book’s overall style and historical feel. After completing the editorial and design process, I prepared the final files for press and delivered them to the publisher.
Client
Jana Osbornová | author
Project
- Book concept and design
- Scanning and editing of supplied historical photographs
- Custom black and white photography of specific locations
- Interacted with contributors, publisher and printer in the Czech language
Enact
New Approach to Graphology, Self-discovery, and Self-Help
Dr. Mikkelsen, a medical doctor by career, developed a new method of handwriting analysis, his long-time passion, and wrote a detailed book about it. After the disappointment of a failed collaboration with another designer a few years prior, his son approached me about his 90-year-old father’s project. I jumped at the opportunity to help, and after our initial consultation, I committed to bringing the project to completion in a timely manner. My tasks included assisting with manuscript review, text editing, and chapter organization/navigation; scanning, cleanup, and proper placement of the author’s hand-drawn illustrations, book and page layouts; research of self-publish options; ISBN purchase; and set up of an online print-on-demand self-publishing sales account.
Client
William Mikkelsen, MD | author
Project
- Book design
- Manuscript chapter organization help
- Digitizing illustration
- Research self-publishing options
- Purchase ISBN
- Set up a print-on-demand sales account
What my clients say…
“I wrote a breakthrough book on how, as we pen simple moves, we enact the most basic ways we think and feel. Then I sat on it for years because I didn’t know how to organize, illustrate or publish it. Happily, my son Lon knew a graphic designer, Renata Kosina, who quickly and expertly revived and had it self-published.
When she sent the first copy on line for me to proofread I was totally baffled as to how to do it on the computer, as was my wife. We are both VERY senior citizens, not at all computer savvy. After getting familiar with an editing program, Renata patiently and understandingly walked us through the process. Many times my changes involved much more work for her but she invariably and flawlessly produced copy that integrated the changes. Her dedication to maintaining the spirit and the letter of my work and seeing it through to completion was truly remarkable.
If this sounds like a familiar situation in need of a solution, contact Graphic designer and Photographer Renata Kosina.”
— William Mikkelsen, MD, Author