DORCAS

DORCAS

DORCAS

Walden

Walden

CLIENT

Walden

DATE

Sept - Dec 2024

MY ROLE

Interaction Designer, Product Designer, Brand Designer, AI Prompter, Design Strategist

CATEGORY

Brand & Identity Design, Product Design, Experiential Design, Packaging Design

From a beloved bookstore to an experiential sanctuary inspired by Thoreau's vision of tranquility.

The goal was to reimagine Waldenbooks as Walden, a brand that embraces experiential design inspired by Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, creating a haven for readers, creatives, and wellness seekers alike.


Brief History

  • Origins (1933) – Founded as Walden Book Company in Stamford, Connecticut, initially operating as a mail-order division for rental books.

  • Retail Expansion (1960s–1980s) – Became one of the largest mall-based bookstore chains in the U.S., known for making books more accessible to everyday shoppers.

  • Decline & Closure (2000s) – Struggled to compete with big-box and online retailers, eventually acquired by Borders, and closed in 2011 when Borders went out of business.

The Vision

Vision Statement

Transform Walden into an experience both a physical & digital one, that brings back simplicity, retreat, and connection through books, wellness and coworking.

Core Values: Simplicity, Nature, Balance, Community.

Brand Identity:

  • Logo Design: Bold serif with branching enclosed tree; symbol of growth, retreat, and interconnectedness.

  • Color Palette: Balanced greens + beige for nature and calm.

  • Typography: Clean bold serif + complementary sans-serif for modern readability.

  • Tagline: “Back to Simplicity.

Brand Identity:

  • Logo Design: Bold serif with branching enclosed tree; symbol of growth, retreat, and interconnectedness.

  • Color Palette: Balanced greens + beige for nature and calm.

  • Typography: Clean bold serif + complementary sans-serif for modern readability.

  • Tagline: “Back to Simplicity.

Brand Identity:

  • Logo Design: Bold serif with branching enclosed tree; symbol of growth, retreat, and interconnectedness.

  • Color Palette: Balanced greens + beige for nature and calm.

  • Typography: Clean bold serif + complementary sans-serif for modern readability.

  • Tagline: “Back to Simplicity.

The Walden Experience (Physical)


  • Lobby: Entry as a calming retreat, framing first impressions.

  • Book Reading Nooks: Quiet zones designed for immersion.

  • Wellness Workshops: Mindfulness, creative writing, yoga and many more.

  • Book Box Subscriptions: Bringing Walden’s essence into the home.

The Walden Experience (Physical)

  • Lobby: Entry as a calming retreat, framing first impressions.

  • Book Reading Nooks: Quiet zones designed for immersion.

  • Wellness Workshops: Mindfulness, creative writing, yoga and many more.

  • Book Box Subscriptions: Bringing Walden’s essence into the home.

The Walden Experience (Physical)

  • Lobby: Entry as a calming retreat, framing first impressions.

  • Book Reading Nooks: Quiet zones designed for immersion.

  • Wellness Workshops: Mindfulness, creative writing, yoga and many more.

  • Book Box Subscriptions: Bringing Walden’s essence into the home.

Co-working Spaces: Various seating types catering to focus, collaboration, and comfort for individual to medium sized teams.

Co-working Spaces: Various seating types catering to focus, collaboration, and comfort for individual to medium sized teams.

Book Box subscription: Themed packages with books, artisanal goods, journaling kits, eco-friendly writing materials, and literary-inspired art supplies.

Book Box subscription: Themed packages with books, artisanal goods, journaling kits, eco-friendly writing materials, and literary-inspired art supplies.

The Digital Experience (Co-working spaces)

  • Browse coworking space offerings (seating types, amenities).

  • Subscription-based model for access.

  • Locate nearest Walden location.


UX Focus: Accessibility, clarity, minimal distraction, brand consistency, seamless flow from browsing → subscribing.

The Digital Experience (Co-working spaces)

  • Browse coworking space offerings (seating types, amenities).

  • Subscription-based model for access.

  • Locate nearest Walden location.


UX Focus: Accessibility, clarity, minimal distraction, brand consistency, seamless flow from browsing → subscribing.

The Digital Experience (Mobile app)

  • Browse & purchase books online.

  • Join book clubs, schedule meetups.

  • Personalized onboarding experience to match interests.

The Digital Experience (Mobile app)

  • Browse & purchase books online.

  • Join book clubs, schedule meetups.

  • Personalized onboarding experience to match interests.

The Digital Experience (Mobile app)

  • Browse & purchase books online.

  • Join book clubs, schedule meetups.

  • Personalized onboarding experience to match interests.

Working on Walden helped me understand

Working on Walden helped me understand

Experience Design

Learned how to design a cohesive journey across physical and digital touchpoints, ensuring users feel curiosity, discovery, and retreat.

Interaction Design

Simplified complex flows like coworking subscriptions and privacy settings into intuitive, distraction-free interactions.

Design Strategy

Understood how branding, physical spaces, and digital platforms can align as a unified ecosystem around a core value "back to simplicity."

Experience Design

Learned how to design a cohesive journey across physical and digital touchpoints, ensuring users feel curiosity, discovery, and retreat.

Interaction Design

Simplified complex flows like coworking subscriptions and privacy settings into intuitive, distraction-free interactions.

Design Strategy

Understood how branding, physical spaces, and digital platforms can align as a unified ecosystem around a core value "back to simplicity."

Experience Design

Learned how to design a cohesive journey across physical and digital touchpoints, ensuring users feel curiosity, discovery, and retreat.

Interaction Design

Simplified complex flows like coworking subscriptions and privacy settings into intuitive, distraction-free interactions.

Design Strategy

Understood how branding, physical spaces, and digital platforms can align as a unified ecosystem around a core value "back to simplicity."