Client: Willis Wonderland Fnd.
Sector: Publishing
Category: Illustration
All photos: Dillon Osborne
Having initially developed the brand identity for Willis Wonderland Foundation with Hillary Carlip in 2022, we’ve continued to partner on a number of diverse illustration and visual identity briefs, but it’s been the biggest adventure in Hand Drawn Creative’s existence to collaborate with Hillary, co-author Trudi Roth and the supremely talented paper engineer Mike Malkovas to create the Willis Wonderland Pop-up Book. It’s taken us all the greater part of a year to complete and I celebrated wrapping up work on this enormous project by travelling to London at Christmas 2024, where I met Willis Wonderland founder Prudence Fenton who was in the UK to promote and screen the documentary film The World according to Allee Willis, which in itself is a perfect companion to this truly creative piece of publishing.
Here’s what Willis Wonderland Foundation had to say about the finished piece:
The Willis Wonderland pop-up book is here and it’s everything we dreamed it would be (and, honestly, more!)
Designed by the endlessly creative @hillarycarlip, this is no ordinary book. She describes it “an architectural pop-up book on steroids,” and she’s not kidding. It’s a 3D love letter to Allee Willis, her bubblegum-pink home, and the wildly original world she built inside it.
It took about a year to bring to life. And in true Allee Willis fashion, Hillary didn’t stay in her creative lane. Though she’s authored books before, she had never designed a pop-up book. That didn’t stop her from saying yes and assembling a dream team to make it real. Illustrator Neal McCullough and paper engineer Mike Malkovas helped turn her vision into something really spectacular.
Hillary writes, “Not knowing a thing about pop-up books, I said what I always have said in my life long dedication to creativity in all forms—OF COURSE!”
Holding it in our hands now, we’re really just in awe. And now it’s ready to ship. Ta-da!
Each spread has involved months of creating the most painstakingly meticulous illustrations Neal has ever created. Each piece of artwork designed to complement Mike’s delicately crafted paper mechanics and bring Allee Willis’ Hollywood home and creative hub to life in a way we hope she would have loved. It’s a testament to a true Artist’s legacy and stands as the one creative project Hand Drawn Creative has been most proud to be part of.
A little more about Allee Willis and Willis Wonderland Foundation:
Launched in 2022, the Willis Wonderland Foundation perpetuates the legacy and extraordinary creative vision of Hall of Fame songwriter and artist Allee Willis by fostering innovative opportunities in music education, with a focus on songwriting and music technology, as well as in multimedia artistry. We empower the next generation of creatives.
Songwriter / artist Allee Willis, best known for writing the "Friends" theme song, the Earth Wind & Fire mega-hit "September" and "The Color Purple" musical, began filming her life as a kid in 1950s Detroit and never stopped. She pursued creative expression at all costs while struggling with not fitting established gender and sexual norms… until she found a path to love.
Our limited edition book is now shipping internationally. For more information, please visit https://williswonderlandpopupbook.com and watch the accompanying film The World According to Allee Willis on Hulu, with plans to screen on Netflix in the UK soon also.
