Rocky Stories brings to life the powerful, often deeply personal journeys of people from around the world who run up the iconic steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art—just like Rocky. Pulitzer Prize-winners Michael Vitez and Tom Gralish spent a year capturing these stories of hope, transformation, and possibility.

Collaborating with the writer and photographer was both inspiring and creatively rich. With such a wealth of content, our challenge was to shape a strong visual narrative. We structured the book around the four seasons, creating a natural rhythm that united the photography and storytelling into one cohesive, compelling experience.

In his introduction, Michael Vitez writes: “The movie premiered in 1976, thirty years ago, yet they still come—a high-school track team from Belfast, three busloads of professional wrestling fans from Australia, a college rower from Maine, a librarian and her fiancé from Lake Tahoe, a race car driver (he ran the steps for good luck)…The story of Rocky inspired them, stirred them.”

“The extent to which the Rocky myth has resonated is documented in this winning book…each story is engaging.”
— Sports Illustrated

“The result is a delight, a thrill, a gas: a kind of art experiment completed by ordinary people.”
— Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly

Publication Design

Cover Design