Richard Fidler describes the #coverdesign for his new book as ‘the big bang created by a psychedelic god.’ (Check out our stories to hear it from him first-hand!) And he’s not wrong; we did enlist the skills of someone ‘godlike’ in British #illustrator @yehrin_tong, who helped recreate #medieval #Baghdad in all its #geometric, mesmerising glory. Read more from Yehrin and #bookdesigner @mrmarkcampbell on the process below 👇 and swipe to see more. 👉 Mark: I’ve been such a fan of Yehrin’s work for years, so this cover design felt like the perfect fit for her beautiful, intricate, #magiceye patterns. Did you know the shape of medieval Bagdad was a circle with four gates pointing to each corner of the Earth? I didn’t either, but when you combine that with a fantastical ‘Game of Thrones’ citadel fortress and the evocative beauty of #Arabian and #Persian patterns and decoration, we knew we would end up with something explosive and eye-catching. 💥💥💥 Yehrin: I had the wonderful experience of working with Mark Campbell and his abundance of creative energy on Richard Fidler’s new cover. The Initial idea was to feature the round city of Baghdad, highlighting the contrast between the ordered #civilisation inside the circle and the wilderness beyond. But after a few rounds we realised the city was too intricate to have the bold effect we were looking for, so the idea was simplified. We instead focused on a beautiful, undulating motif where the shape of the city and its four pathways rise out as an optical illusion. We achieved this by giving the circle a slightly 3D effect ... looking at ancient sculpted ceilings and crafting the line weight to give it a similar sense of depth. 🕌 For colour, we used complimentary oranges and blues to help the optical lines pop and dazzle, creating a #kaleidoscopic effect, with a turquoise foil introduced at the final stage to further emphasise the outline of the city. I’m beyond happy with the final design – it’s striking, elegant and feels modern while maintaining a classic #MiddleEastern feel. The pattern and the four pathways literally draw the eye of the reader in. 👁 First 📸 by @bookpeopleau