Book cover and chapter illustrations for a steampunk young adult novel
The book is full of steampunk machines, mystery and alchemy, hence the cover is full of mystical references fused with scenes from the story. The hidden details show the symbols of the plans of a long lost fortification, the seal of the Austrian secret police, an abbreviation of an enigmatic knighthood, the figures of the rival parties and a reference for the treasure they seek.
The plot tells the adventures of two opposing sides - the secret police of Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Hungarian resistance - who both want to find a lost weapon, hidden in the ancient tomb of an old Hun king. It is a long, convoluted story with many twists and turns, so I designed a labyrinth around the illustrations, which you can solve by starting at the top left corner moving towards to the bottom right. The labyrinth is hot stamped and for its colour we chose this silver rainbow foil to emphasise the mysteriousness of the alchemy aspect of the story.
illustrator ↦ Gergő Gilicze
writer ↦ Csaba Mikó
art director and managing editor ↦ Eszter Anna Balázs
publisher ↦ Lampion Könyvek
typefaces ↦ PP Rader, Gill Sans
printed by ↦ Alföldi Nyomda Zrt.
Original Hungary map, rough for map and final vector file. The map depicts the area where the adventure takes place.
