Discover Adriana Narbona’s Lorien and The Forgotten Kingdom, a richly illustrated children’s book showcasing world-building, emotional color, and editorial craft.

Every so often, we come across a project that reminds us why illustration and editorial design remain such powerful storytelling tools. Lorien and The Forgotten Kingdom, a fully self-created children’s book by Seville-based designer and illustrator Adriana Narbona, is one of those projects. It blends world-building, narrative illustration, and thoughtful editorial craft into an immersive experience that sits beautifully at the intersection of design and fantasy.

Adriana grew up surrounded by art, magic, and the quiet pull of fantasy literature. Years spent in traditional fine arts training laid the foundation: four-hour painting classes, an academic path shaped by illustration, and an early obsession with mystical worlds. Later, studies in Graphic Design and a Branding specialization at IED sharpened her eye for contemporary visual identity, editorial systems, and typographic nuance. Lorien and The Forgotten Kingdom is where all of those strands meet.

A Self-Contained World Built From Scratch

What makes this project especially compelling is that Adriana created everything. The writing, illustration, layout, visual identity, color language, typography, and accompanying materials were all crafted by her hand. Initially developed as her Final Degree Project, the book earned an outstanding grade and it’s easy to see why.

The story follows Lorien, a young heroine who must confront a threat overtaking her land and destroying the natural world around her. Guided by bravery and heart, she journeys through a medieval-inspired fantasy realm filled with talking animals, magic, and the kind of narrative textures that evoke classic folklore. The themes, personal growth, environmental awareness, courage, are universal, but Adriana’s visual approach makes them feel intimate and contemporary.

Editorial Craft Meets Sensory Storytelling

Beyond the illustrations, the book uses editorial design as an emotional engine. Typography shifts to mirror tone, visual textures create atmosphere, and layout decisions encourage exploration. This isn’t just a picture book; it’s a tactile, sensory experience.

To enrich the world further, Adriana designed complementary elements that extend the story beyond the page: interactive pieces, sensory components, and a beautifully structured informational booklet that explains the graphic system behind the book. It’s the kind of thinking we love to see, design used not just to contain a story, but to expand it.

A Designer Shaping Her Own Creative Universe

Adriana describes her style as a blend of fantasy illustration, contemporary editorial design, and narrative-driven visual identity. Her influences span folklore, nature, character-driven storytelling, and traditional picture books. In Lorien and The Forgotten Kingdom, you can feel all of those threads working in harmony.

The project isn’t published yet, but it’s already a fully realized universe, one that feels ready to step into the world.

For designers, illustrators, and anyone who values world-building, Adriana’s work is a reminder of the power of immersive storytelling and the role editorial design can play in shaping narrative emotion. Check out more of Adriana's work HERE.