Led by graphic designer, Victoria Forrest, educational book creator VIKA Books combines graphic arts, fine art publishing and creative technologies to create new reading experiences.
VIKA Books changes inclusive storytelling by embedding three channels of multimedia into printed pages, facilitating sign language translations in publishing.
Victoria, the founder of VIKA Books, embarked on her journey driven by a passion for making books more accessible and engaging. Victoria sought to create visually captivating books that catered to diverse learning styles and embraced new technologies.
We think books are available in all languages, but that's not true - they’re available in spoken languages, meaning that we are all missing out on the benefits of learning sign language.
The vision behind VIKA
Victoria's journey with VIKA stems from a deeply personal place. As someone with dyslexia, she understands the struggle of accessing traditional text-heavy books.
I love the world that books introduce me to, but I’m not very good at reading them. Designing books allows me to understand them completely and craft more accessible designs and ways of reading. I find highly visual books much more inclusive.
That's why I specialise in designing photobooks and visually engaging books for the creative industries. I noticed the rise of creative technologies in our lives, and I realised that I wasn't alone in loving books and preferring to learn in multi-media.
This realisation sparked an idea for Victoria – the idea of creating “Connected Books” - books where printed pages blend seamlessly with creative technologies like video, audio, and Augmented Reality (AR) to enrich the reading experience.
Victoria explains her inspiration:
Imagine if we could buy a book on chess and have everything about it within its pages; not just text and images, but also interviews, films, articles, games, virtual reality (VR) experiences—everything curated and embedded into the book.
From concept to creation
The inception of VIKA Books took a significant leap when Victoria had her son. Through teaching him sign language, she uncovered a profound communication tool that bridged gaps between thought and speech. Recognising the potential to merge sign language with printed material, Victoria developed “Where is the Bird?”, a book utilising augmented reality to teach sign language to children.
Sign language is not a printable language, it's a moving, three-dimensional language. I realised that the reason why so many people struggle to learn sign language, include the deaf and hard of hearing community, is because it’s so hard to get a book on it.
Sign language can be used with a child from birth, they can sign for milk, or show where they’re in pain. It's a game changer for them and their parents, but there just aren't enough resources out there. That's why I created 'Where is the Bird? The book uses AR, video, and touch feedback to teach sign language to all children, whether they're deaf or hearing.
Victoria's journey underscores the intersection of innovation and inclusivity, with VIKA Books pioneering the integration of sign language and multimedia elements into traditional print media. By harnessing AR technology, VIKA Books opens doors to a new realm of interactive storytelling, where readers can engage with content beyond the confines of the printed page.
Protecting IP
As VIKA Books ventured into uncharted territory, it became paramount to safeguard its innovations. Victoria emphasises the importance of IP protection, saying, "Everything I do is essentially intellectual property. At its core, I own the copyright of all my designs. But when I created 'Where is the Bird,' I knew it was something special that needed full IP protection."
VIKA books boast trade marks and registered designs. Victoria has recently received confirmation that the patent she applied for has been granted, ensuring Vika's pioneering technologies remain exclusive.
It’s amazing to finally hold the certificate in my hands. It represents such a lot of work, over such a long period of time. I was quite emotional when it first arrived, says Victoria.
However, Victoria's journey also highlights the challenges of navigating the IP landscape, emphasising the need for IP support for SMEs. Over the past four years, Victoria has learned to decipher complex legal documents and advocate for quality control. Victoria underscores the need for accessible IP resources and supportive networks. From protecting copyrights to obtaining patents for her processes, Victoria has worked hard to safeguard her innovations.
I've examined IP protection from the design phase to publishing. At each stage, I focus on protecting and promoting not just my IP, but also that of the people I work with. I've been exploring income streams, contracts, and models for a publishing house in an industry that doesn't exist yet! It can be confusing, especially in multimedia publishing, as there are so many variables. It's hard to imagine how these models will work in the real world, and then how best to introduce them to an established book publishing industry.
IP funding support *
VIKA Books received IP Audit funding from the IPO in 2021, to help the business identify its IP portfolio and develop a strategy to maximise value from its IP.
The resulting IP audit report highlighted areas where VIKA Books should focus its attention over the short term, as well as setting out a range of recommendations to be considered for future implementation as part of a broader IP strategy.
VIKA subsequently received follow-on funding from the IPO under its IP Access scheme, to implement recommendations from the IP audit. It received the maximum IP Access funding of £5,000. Both grants were delivered in partnership with Innovate UK EDGE (now Innovate UK Business Growth).
The next chapter
For VIKA Books, the horizon is filled with opportunities. Victoria aims to expand internationally, license technologies, and build partnerships to make sign language integration in publishing mainstream.
The technology is designed to benefit everyone. While initially aimed at bridging the gap between deaf and hearing families and educating the hearing community on the benefits of sign language, the potential applications of a technology that seamlessly integrates illustrations with multiple media streams are much broader. I am excited about licensing the technology and witnessing the emergence of a whole new category of books where creative technologies are embedded into the page.
The ultimate goal of Connected Books is to connect people.
As VIKA Books continues to push boundaries, it stands as a testament to the transformative impact of innovation and the significance of safeguarding intellectual property, paving the way for a more inclusive and accessible future in publishing.
*Would you like IP help for your business?
The IPO is committed to providing support to inventors and entrepreneurs to help them identify, protect and commercialise their IP. We provide a range of free-to-use online training tools to help understand how IP works and how to manage and use IP.
To learn more about the IPO’s online support tools visit: Welcome to IPO’s online support tools. These have been designed to help you: | Intellectual Property Office
We also signpost to organisations within the UK that can help inventors and entrepreneurs bring ideas, products and services to market. We work with the network of Patent Libraries and Business and IP Centres (BIPCs) across the country, which offer free and low-cost IP information services and one-to-one support. A number of the centres also offer referrals for pro-bono support from an IP Professional. Information on the services provided through the BIPC National Network can be found here: https://www.bl.uk/bipc/
The IPO also partners with Innovate UK Business Growth, Scottish Enterprise, Welsh Government and Invest Northern Ireland, who provide a range of services to help innovate businesses. The IPO offers financial support to eligible high-growth potential businesses on business support programmes run by these partners to help businesses identify and manage their IP. More information on the support offered can be found at the websites of the partners here:
Innovate UK Business Growth (ukri.org)
Our organisation | Scottish Enterprise (scottish-enterprise.com)
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