Whatever happened to the city of Atlantis? Is there a conspiracy afoot to cover up alien activity at Area 51? Some of history’s Enduring Mysteries involve tales so incredible that they blur the lines between fact and fiction. The truth is out there—for someone to find. Can you find them in these books; Area 51, Atlantis, Bermuda Triangle, Bigfoot, and Loch Ness Monster?
Once again, I was called upon by The Creative Company, briefed on the project and hit the ground running. This series had to be Fun + Factual + Fascinating = Fantastic. So, off I went.
Rather than putting a title on the cover in the conventional manner, which would occupy valuable space, I needed to make the cover image THE HERO—the Batman—and the title THE SUPPORT—the Robin. They each play an important role. I chose a provocative image to start with then created a unique ‘badge’ for each title with its own identity and personality.
The ‘introduction’ was an opportunity to get the reader engaged from the start. To achieve this, a double page, a mysterious image, vivid colour palette, and large clear text to excite the reader.
For the ‘chapter heads’ a different strategy needed to be introduced, so rather than a chapter title and text to follow, I simply abandoned that way of thinking. This is a picture book, so why not use a double page spread to put the chapter title on and use an intriguing image to fill the background? This would also reflect the content of each chapter.
We’ve entered, been introduced, had a starter, now for the entrée. I try to keep the reader engaged and surprised each time they turn the page. My approach is to have the text and images embrace and inform each other. A dance of sorts. Wait a sec… I forgot to mention the ‘running heads’. You know, that text at the top of the page that mentions the book title? This is usually an afterthought with no importance given to it. Not here. Keeping the playfulness of the branding in mind, I addressed this by isolating an element from each book and stretching it across each spread.
To close each chapter with a bang, I turned a sidebar into a full page. The sidebar always an interesting fact needing special attention.
I’ve supplied you with the images, facts, the whereabouts, map included—now go out and solve these ‘Enduring Mysteries’.
The following are random spreads.