The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks
This novel follows a young woman named Maya who comes from a long line of warriors called Harlequins, sworn to protect a group of mysterious individuals called Travellers. These individuals are able to visit parallel realms, and often return with ideas and causes that disrupt but ultimately elevate society. They are ruthlessly hunted down by an organization known as the Brethren, whose sole wish is absolute power and control over everything. Like Big Brother, they utilize invasive technology to track everyone around the world, eliminating those who threaten their system.
The dust jacket is minimal in shape and colour, reflecting the mechanical reduction of humans into binary data on a dossier. The imagery depicts a grid of surveillance cameras trained on the figure of a running man, creating a focal point. Against the black background, their red lenses are ominous, evoking the cityscape of some dystopian future. A bold sans serif font was chosen for its modern connotations, synonymous with the message of the book: today, many invasive surveillance systems are already in place around the world. The rest of the jacket is minimal and subdued, maximizing the foreboding presence of the iconic graphics.
Inside the book, the modern san serif motif continues with a few variations. Titled information is bold, all caps, and tracked out. Secondary information is light and condensed. They provide contrast with the serif body text, adding depth and dimension to the pages. Headers and folios are placed at the top of the page to make holding the book ergonomically friendly, and generous margins allow for easy reading. Graphics and dividers are inspired from symbols present in the story. Unifying the appearance of the book is the translation of imagery on the dust jacket into the title and table of contents pages. They symbolize the pervasive nature of surveillance; the reader will be watched no matter where they go.
