Alex Robbins Designs an Atmospheric Cover for Motives Unknown
Alex Robbins is a Bristol based designer and illustrator. His clients include Penguin Random House, Pentagram and The New Yorker. Here he takes us through his process for designing the atmospheric cover for short story collection Motives Unknown.
‘Sprawling cities. Lawless rural landscapes. A long and unforgiving history. Here is where the winds blow cold and the nights are long.’
The publishers Dead Ink have earned a reputation for commissioning some fantastic covers, so I was pleased to get the opportunity to add to their catalogue with the cover for their Northern crime anthology Motives Unknown. Anthologies are some of my favourite books, particularly for a train or bus journey, devouring a story between stops. The brief for this collection was clear: the cover should evoke a sense of crime and the North.
Whilst researching photography of Northern landmarks l was drawn to imagery of the Blackpool coastline. My initial design comp used handwriting raining down onto the famous Blackpool tower. Another option I created used a compass symbol, its red needle pointing north, and a crashing wave to evoke the abruptness of a stabbing or gunshot.
The brief referenced some bold, non photography covers in the mood board. This led me to explore a more graphic approach. One idea I tried involved an illustrative crime chase running between some industrial typography with a blood drip connecting the title elements. Another design I created combined a police shooting target with the iconic Angel of the North. However, I was concerned this might suggest a specific regional identity (North East) rather than the broader North. I also tried some typographic spying eyes over a blood red tone. I returned to this after a weekend away with fresh eyes. I decided to try some type treatments that gave a sense of the title Motives Unknown, words that evoked the tone of the stories. I experimented with blurred typography over photos of a Manchester tower block and the Lake District.
I decided to send all 7 comps to the Editor to get their thoughts. The publishers were particularly drawn to the tower block option, featuring a photograph by Valentin Petkov. This only needed a couple of small changes to the composition and typography. Hopefully l captured the tone of this great collection of stories.
Final cover
Motives Unknown publishes 1st May 2025
Editor, artworker and lifelong bibliophile.