NextLesson Covers

As lead designer on K-12 digital lesson covers, I built a rule-based design system that kept hundreds of lesson covers feeling like one library while still letting each subject (math, ELA, science, civics) speak in its own voice. The system was as much about scale as it was about visual identity — covers needed to be producible by a rotating team of freelance designers without each one looking like a one-off.

The covers paired with a character illustration system built specifically for K-12 learners, so the visual world stayed coherent from cover to lesson interior.

Team: Product Manager, Freelance Designers, Lesson Writers
Role: Lead Designer

The covers had to do double duty — appealing in a grid view on the browse page, and clear in context on individual lesson pages.

A sampling of favorite covers across subjects — driverless cars, baking, gaming, astronomy, civil rights, party math.