Over the last few months, we worked on a couple of complex book interior designs that are worthy of note. Sample images are at right (or above, if you’re on a small screen), and if you tap on them you can see them larger.
The first two images are from the book Civilizations of the Unconscious by Dr. Nandini Dickens. This book is a scholarly work that offers a new attempt to decipher the mysterious, ancient Linear A script from ancient Minoan Crete. Because it’s a book encompassing both history and linguistics, it contains a large number of complex charts, maps and graphics, including the characters of Linear A, which had to be hand drawn. And because Dickens’ theory ties the script to Tamil, a language of southern India, there’s also quite a bit of Tamil.
Dickens began working on the book with another designer, who designed the cover, but the complexity of the interior was beyond his abilities, so she (wisely) turned to Sensical Design. “I appreciated the artistry, the skill, and the expertise Dan took with the interior design,” Dickens said. “I think the text was very difficult to manage because of the ancient fonts involved, but the way he dealt with them was impressive. The hardcover edition of the book was beautiful and much commented on by the people I showed it to.”
The final sample image is from the book How to Perform a WAN Qualification by Toni Schimmel. This how-to book for network engineers is in color and contains hundreds of diagrams, lists, and illustrations; the image at right only gives a slight taste. Schimmel also started this project with another design firm, in this case one operated by a large Internet company that you may have heard of. After months of back and forth and frustration, that company ended up refunding her money. Sensical Design finished up the project in good order, with no drama.
Schimmel said, “Dan rescued us from the clutches of a large, no-frills publishing conglomerate! Our book was complicated and technical. It was imperative that it be easy to read and a pleasure to the eye, to ensure the reader does not stray. Dan was the only one who understood our dilemma and rallied like the old publishing houses when they had a critical deadline. We will use Sensical Design whenever possible.”
See our publishing services page for more on how we can help you with your book projects, complex or straightforward.