…to the bookshelves is quite complex. Dr Chris Ndibe (a Nigerian Free Trade Zone (FTZ) consultant, thought leader and Carlcon Group’s CEO) finished the manuscript of his latest work — Reimagining FTZ/SEZ in Nigeria — and passed the baton to Studio Patang. Thus, we began the crucial journey of creating the book’s visual design, a process involving typesetting, chapter illustrations, and cover design.
The book’s specialised nature (an economics guide) influenced our process — a method layered in its approach. Being starkly uninformed about complex economics, the priority was researching the topic, immersing ourselves in the essential details. Then we complemented this complexity with various visual design elements, catering to a specialised readership: field experts, high-level authorities, and people aiming for business growth.
Creating the Master Pages defined the overall text layout. Basic details, based on industry standards, were finalised — some general, others specific to non-fiction formats. The former included initial pages like inner cover and copyright page, font decisions, sizing and spacing for the text, headings, subheadings, and headers/footers. The latter included following recto-verso formatting of right-side chapter initiation, incorporating appendices and references, and a layout incorporating the book and chapter names, along with page numbers on outer margins, for easier navigation.
Along with adhering to the Master formats, specifics (like chapter headings, tables, figures) were typeset manually with in-depth scrutiny, incidentally revealing some consistency errors, aiding the proofreading. The author wanted the complex subject to be more accessible and visually summarised after major topics — thus came chapter-end illustrations. Our art style complemented the content’s nature, hinting at realism, while also working through sketch-like illustrations, conveying the conceptual narrative requiring active implementation. Basic sketches evolved into final illustrations through careful enhancement of curated assets.
We started with a compilation of elements representing the book’s entirety. A mood board formed, going through a few ideations like using Nigeria’s map and an illustration involving buildings and machinery, conveying growing infrastructure. Some of these elements were scrapped — the author’s feedback was to reflect economic growth, while our designs hinted at industrialisation. During feedback sessions, the book’s title was also changed to better represent the content.
The final cover had a dark primary palette with glowing, high-contrast secondary colours to catch readers’ attention and create emphasis. We used serif fonts, namely Sitka and Times New Roman, preserving the subject’s seriousness. The final design flowed seamlessly from the back cover to front. A rising candlestick chart in the background showed market growth while a globe in the foreground highlighted Nigeria’s map and its trade connections worldwide. Visuals of currency and stakeholder elements hinted to the book’s specialisation in those domains.
The final export went to printers. Following the first print and subsequent changes, the book was released. More than simply formatting, we packaged ideas for impact. Through a complex but rewarding process, the manuscript was converted into a publication-ready book — releasing an author’s concepts and lifelong learnings in a tangible form, out into the world.
Kshitij Birdi
“The collaboration with Studio Patang was a leap of faith which turned into a meaningful endeavour. I was impressed by their commitment to work and attention to detail. They went an extra mile to research about the field, so that no element of design was irrelevant or out of place. I wish Studio Patang growth and success.”
Community-driven creativity
crafted with culture.
