International editions of The Singularity by Balsam Karam.

The Singularity

The design of this book was a unique challenge: Balsam Karam’s book had already been published in the U.S. and Australia using the same illustration, by Swedish book designer Sara R. Acedo, that was to be used for the Canadian edition. My mission: make this edition look singular!

The other two editions had used the above illustration in its entirety. I felt that the cover would more powerful by zooming in, so that it filled up the whole page, and we could see the detail better. I also separated the original black-and-white drawing into Mediterranean colours that evoked the unnamed coastal city where the book starts—with a suicide by drowning.

The police tape that likely accompanied this scene gave me the idea for a title treatment that would make the text clear, as it now had to overlap the detail-rich illustration. Except, if I set the “The” at the top, the tape’s necessary width would obscure important details. (Other graphic designers will recognize this design problem—accommodating this necessary yet unimportant word.) Where to put the “the?” This problem ended up giving me a solution: The “the” displaces the “A” of Singularity, pushing it into the water, foreshadowing the tragic opening of the book.

The Singularity turned out to be one of my favourite cover designs, thanks to the challenge that Book*hug publisher Jay MillAr gave me.

Publisher: Bookhug Press, Toronto, 2024
Author: Balsam Karam

Overview of Projects