Pilgrim

Connecting people with nature through journeys

Editorial book design
Art direction
Research
Information design
Print specifications
Binding
Photography

Timeline 9 weeks

Awarded membership to the International Society of Typographic Designers in 2021

A Pilgrim, traditionally a religious term, has been defined by social anthropologists as someone who embarks on a journey, often into an unknown place, in search of expanded meaning about themselves, nature or a higher good. Pilgrim is an annual publication that collates people’s experiences of their journeys in nature to convey how important time in nature is to our wellbeing. The publication can be purchased from pilgrim.com, where people can also submit their story. The most inspiring, biophilic experiences that connect readers with nature are published. Each publication of Pilgrim focuses on different people’s experiences from one specific natural place.

This issue is based around people who embarked on the Kumano Kodo, a sacred Shintoist and Buddhist pilgrimage through the beautiful Kii Mountains in Southern Japan. Shantel Wetherall’s story describes her feelings of awe, wonder and personal triumph set against descriptive observations of her surroundings. Oliver Berry’s story is full of immersive writing that enables readers to visualise the beauty he sees, and recounts compelling interactions with local people who protect the Kumano Kodo. Orla Hennessy’s journey – my sister with whom I travelled along the Kumano Kodo in 2019 – contains lovely observations, anecdotes and ephemera from a diary she kept of the journey. Overall, the selected stories evoke a deep appreciation for nature and convey a wonderful sense of self-discovery and adventure.

Pilgrim aims to convey that nature is an absolute necessity in our daily lives. We need nature not only to survive, but to thrive. The publication should inspire the reader to seek out nature in their own daily life, to spend more time in natural environments and enjoy the benefits nature offers for human physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. The reader may then value nature more and make efforts to protect it. The reader may someday embark on a pilgrimage, but a pilgrimage can be as simple as a walk in the local park.