VEIL PROTOCOL
Book Cover & Publication Design
THE BIG IDEA
Blurring the boundary between fiction and artifact
Rather than presenting itself as a conventional novel, Veil Protocol was conceived as an artifact from within its own fictional world. Design decisions support the impression that the book has survived its own history before arriving in the reader's hands.
THE CONCEPT
Recovered Archival Artifact
Designed as a tactile archival artifact rather than simply a book cover, every surface rewards closer inspection.
REFERENCE LIBRARY
Visual language informed by government archives, anthropological references, and institutional record keeping.
DIGITAL DESIGN
The digital edition preserves the atmosphere and visual integrity of the print design while maintaining legibility at retail thumbnail size.
The restrained archival aesthetic differentiates the design within a crowded science-fiction marketplace dominated by effects-driven covers.
MAKING AN ARCHIVAL OBJECT
“The cover Margaret conceived flowed directly from the story—not as a simple summary or collage of characters, but as an artistic offshoot of the manuscript’s meaning, which I find rare these days.”