Jett Lara: Dreams & Nightmares

Dreams & Nightmares is the debut monograph by self-taught documentary photographer Jett Lara. Published by NORKWWD, the book captures raw, intimate portraits of life in Downtown Los Angeles—shot entirely while Jett biked through the city. Over the course of two years, Jett and I worked together closely to bring his vision to life from concept to final print.

Jett had been documenting stories from DTLA’s streets for years, but needed support turning his work into a cohesive, compelling book — one that honored both the people in the photos and the spirit of the city. We needed to design a book that felt personal and unfiltered, while still being structured enough to hold emotional weight and narrative flow.

After meeting through a Reddit post, an Instagram story, and some pizza — we Zoomed weekly for almost two years to shape the book — from editing and sequencing the images to designing the layout, typography, and visual tone. The book launched for pre-order through NORKWWD in June 2024. The response so far has been incredibly supportive, with early orders coming in and readers connecting deeply with the work.

︎︎︎ Team
Jesse Merrell, Creative Director
Jett Lara, Photographer
Mari Meyer, Copywriter

︎︎︎ Services
Art Direction
Book Design
Copywriting
Creative Direction
Print Design