I really enjoy designing books for debut authors. There’s a lot to be said for having a clean slate both in terms of expectation and visual language. Being briefed on the new book for Kazuo Ishiguro places you firmly in the opposite camp with massive expectation on all departments to deliver the new bestseller. Unusually, the lead time was very generous, with the manuscript being slid over a pub table for us to read well over a year before the March 2021 publication date. I say “us” because the whole team was briefed to produce visuals initially. I’ll only focus on my contributions here but let me say that what was produced by the others was exquisitely beautiful and shattered my self-confidence.

The Wall is set in the near future, where rising sea levels have wiped out huge swathes of the world and to protect itself from both water and ‘the others’ who try to gain entry via the sea, Britain has erected a 30ft concrete wall around itself which is guarded by conscripted young members of the populace. You do your 2 years on The Wall, pray that no ‘others’ come and then you go about your life as normal. If The Others come and manage to get over on your watch, you’re put out to sea in their place. The novel follows Kavanagh, a young man who is just starting his time on The Wall.