Mapping the design path of a series
The books premise: A greedy few have pushed the world to the brink. Driven by power and wealth, these are the supervillains of corruption and war. They fund their opulent lives through a massive web of crime and deception. But a fightback is brewing. Small, fearless teams of undercover investigators are closing in one step at a time.
In Terrible Humans, Patrick Alley, co-founder of Global Witness and the author of Very Bad People, introduces us to some of the world’s worst. Pitted against them, the book also follows the people unravelling the deals, tracking the money and going undercover at great risk. From the oligarch charged with ordering the killing of an investigative journalist to the mercenary army seizing the natural resources of an entire African country. This is a whirlwind tour of the dark underbelly of the world’s super powerful and wickedly wealthy, and the daring investigators dragging them into the light.
The initial cover design
Following the success of Very Bad People, Monoray Books returned to us to design the sequel, Terrible Humans. The challenge: create a standalone cover that immediately signals its place in a growing series without feeling repetitive, we initially Photoshop composite cover:
The second cover
However, in collaboration with the editorial team, we realized that minimalism carried more weight but by stripping back and anchoring the layout with the skull motif from the first title, we achieved brand recognition. This shift is what makes the series feel diffrerent on a bookshelf.
The consistent design element of the skull figure, featured prominently on the first book’s cover using the skull figure should also be included in the design of the second book cover to maintain a cohesive and recognisable visual identity for the series.
Other titles that we have designed for Monoray Books :
Error of Judgement
A Waiter in Paris
Taxtopia
The Accidental Footballer