A shiver of sharks. A galaxy of starfish. A kaleidoscope of butterflies... These might sound like the fanciful whimsies of a small child, but they are in fact the proper collective nouns one would assign these groups of animals. The folks at London-based Woop Studios have perfected the art of illustrating such quirky expressions, incorporating text and design in these fun and educational limited edition prints.

The design community has taken notice of this delightful project; the illustrations have been nominated for the 2011 British Design Awards, and Chronicle Books recently turned them into a book called "A Zeal of Zebras". The gorgeously colored pages make for a unique introduction to the animal kingdom and the alphabet for children—and an aesthetically pleasing read for design-savvy parents.

Some other hand-picked posts you might enjoy on our Design Blog:

Feathers: Studies and Designs by Scott Wise
Back to the Start: Stop Motion Animation for Chipotle
Animodul Kids by Atipo