Cover design for PhD thesis and scientific papers
Client: Orlando RomĆ”n GarcĆa, ETH ZĆ¼rich
Project: From Scenarios to Pathways: Advancing Model-based Adaptive Planning for Land Use and Transport Systems under Uncertainty ā PhD thesis cover, inner cover design, icon set and an opening presentation slide
The Challenge
Orlando needed a cover for his PhD thesis on transport planning under uncertainty, a topic dense enough to scare off some designers before the first sketch. Not me though, I love that stuff!
He found me through Ruth Nelson, having seen my Just Mobility Futures illustrations, and figured I could translate years of research into something you'd want to check out.
The brief: capture 8 million simulations, a policy tree exploding with possibility, and a decision-making process that involves real humans, not just data, in one cover, a set of icons, and an opening presentation slide.
The Strategy
We worked remotely, focused entirely on cover design and icons, while Orlando kept the internal layout in his own hands (a smart call, since theses tend to get revised after the defence anyway).
We tested three completely different directions before landing on the right one. One idea, blending "pathways" with real transport routes using satellite imagery, looked great in theory and fell apart in practice: from above, a cycling path and a driveway are basically twins.
The concept that stuck was more playful and more precise: tiny figures marking out boundaries in a field of possible futures, and a huge policy tree growing from that space, its branches becoming the actual pathways. Switching to a top-down view let those pathways read as real infrastructure, cycling lanes, rail lines, roads, without needing a single satellite photo. Each theme got its own little illustration, turning colour-coded lines into something with real meaning.
Have a scientific paper, thesis or evidence-based publication that deserves a cover worth opening? š
Let's talk! āØ
Have a scientific paper, thesis or evidence-based publication that deserves a cover worth opening? š Let's talk! āØ
The Impact
The final design covers the front and back cover, spine, inner covers, and even the opening slide of Orlando's defence presentation, giving the whole thesis one consistent, story-driven look from the first page to the last!
