Bal-Balika Sabha Books

The Bal-Balika Sabha Books are part of a structured 8-year curriculum, developed over two decades by volunteers across BAPS North America, where thousands of children gather each week to explore the stories, values, and teachings of their tradition. Because that gathering happens only once a week, the books were created to carry the learning into the home — a sequential, thoughtfully designed resource for ages 6–13 that blends scriptural teachings, historical stories, and real-life application. I work on the Design team, one of a group of designers who take the writers' content and transform it into engaging, interactive, visually appealing chapter layouts built to connect with today's youth. Because each book builds on the one before it, consistency across the series matters as much as creativity within each chapter — the goal being to make every book feel less like words on a page and more like an experience.

The Bal-Balika Sabha Books are part of a structured 8-year curriculum, developed over two decades by volunteers across BAPS North America, where thousands of children gather each week to explore the stories, values, and teachings of their tradition. Because that gathering happens only once a week, the books were created to carry the learning into the home — a sequential, thoughtfully designed resource for ages 6–13 that blends scriptural teachings, historical stories, and real-life application. I work on the Design team, one of a group of designers who take the writers' content and transform it into engaging, interactive, visually appealing chapter layouts built to connect with today's youth. Because each book builds on the one before it, consistency across the series matters as much as creativity within each chapter — the goal being to make every book feel less like words on a page and more like an experience.

year

since '24

scope

Editorial & Chapter Design, Layout, Illustration, Visual Storytelling

100+
centers across North America
2 of 10
books released — 3 & 4 in progress
8-year
curriculum, ages 6–13
Bal-Balika Sabha Books · BAPS North America

EDITORIAL

ILLUSTRATION

LAYOUT

Process

Process

I design chapters as part of a structured, distributed design team, working from the writers' content and a shared system:

  • Begin each chapter from shared design guidelines, templates, and project fonts — keeping the series cohesive while leaving room for creativity in each chapter's layout

  • Translate the writers' write-ups (scriptural teachings, stories, and practical lessons) into clear, engaging page layouts for readers ages 6–13

  • Work from a shared design tracker for chapter assignments and handle illustrations accordingly — drawing my own by hand, adapting existing BAPS publication artwork, or integrating pieces supplied by the India illustration and publications teams

  • Keep every file in a standardized folder structure (assets, project files, exports) with consistent naming so chapters can be handed off smoothly across the team

  • Submit each chapter as a draft and refine it through the review-and-feedback cycle to meet each book's deliverables and timeline

Toolkit

Chapters are designed in Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop against shared guidelines, templates, and fonts that hold the series together. A standardized file system (assets, project files, exports) and consistent naming keep a distributed team in sync, while illustrations are hand-drawn, pulled from existing BAPS publication artwork, or supplied by the India illustration and publications teams.

Chapters are designed in Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop against shared guidelines, templates, and fonts that hold the series together. A standardized file system (assets, project files, exports) and consistent naming keep a distributed team in sync, while illustrations are hand-drawn, pulled from existing BAPS publication artwork, or supplied by the India illustration and publications teams.

Janaki Patel, 2026

Janaki Patel, 2026

Janaki Patel, 2026