Lida Sam
All brand work
Case study

BOOKLAND

An icon built from books, a bookmark and stars

BookLand is a reading workspace for studying two books side by side. The icon had to carry that at the size of a home screen tile, so it was assembled from three things the product is actually about: stacked books, a bookmark, and a scattering of stars, with the initials B and L worked into the structure rather than sitting on top of it.

Client
BookLand
Role
Graphic & Visual Designer
Industry
Reading and study app
Scope
App icon design
Date
August 2026
Case study cover: the BookLand app icon on the home screen of a deep blue iPhone, a white book and bookmark mark with stars on a blue gradient tile, with the client, project scope and date for the project Project overview: BookLand is a focused reading workspace for comparing and studying books side by side, opening two PDFs at once and bringing the library, notes, highlights, search and comparison panes into one place Concept origin, shown as an equation: stacked books plus a bookmark plus stars equals the finished composition, with the initials B and L integrated into the book structure The colour palette: Sky Blue 58C9E9, Deep Blue 1F4396, Ocean Blue 3D8BC2 and Royal Blue 2A5DA6, shown as four blocks with their hex values The finished BookLand icon at full size: the white book and bookmark mark with stars and the wordmark, on a rounded tile with a blue gradient The icon in place: a phone on a stand showing the BookLand splash screen and the line Your reading. Side by side., beside a plant pot and a box carrying the same mark
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Project overview

BookLand is a focused reading workspace designed for comparing and studying books side by side. It lets a reader open two PDFs at once, navigate each document independently, and compare content without leaving the reading workspace. Beyond a standard PDF viewer, it brings the reading and study tools into one place: a local book library, titles and tags, reading history, thumbnails, index navigation, precise search, notes, highlights, study themes, zoom controls and independent comparison panes. The goal was to make reading, researching and comparing multiple books feel seamless within a single workspace.

The idea behind the icon

The icon is built from three elements, each carrying part of what the product does. The stacked book forms establish the core structure, representing reading, knowledge and the library experience. The bookmark represents saving, returning to, and discovering content throughout the reader’s journey. The stars add a sense of discovery and imagination, reflecting the experience of exploring new ideas through books. In the final composition the initials B and L are integrated into the book structure, creating a unique and recognisable BookLand identity.

Colour

Four blues carry the icon: Sky Blue at 58C9E9, Ocean Blue at 3D8BC2, Royal Blue at 2A5DA6 and Deep Blue at 1F4396. Running from the lightest to the deepest gives the tile depth on a home screen, with the mark reversed out in white on top of it.

Open to design roles in the Helsinki region

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