Ask This Book A Question by Vicki Tan is an interactive guide designed to help readers navigate life's decisions —both big and small—by exploring the science of cognitive biases and the art of storytelling.
Problem: Design a book cover that conveys the book’s core message at a glance, along with a visual system for 40+ icons around cognitive biases.
Solution: Created a cover illustration, icon system, and supporting illustrations that help communicate various abstract topics, like perception. CD: Vicki Tan
I worked closely with the author to create a cover illustration that captured the themes of choice and personal journey. The visual style echoes the author’s hand-drawn doodles throughout the book, bringing a personal and cohesive feel to the design. Along with the front cover, I helped design the back cover, which features a spot illustration of the author and her dog, Charlie.
Bias Icons: Illustration system for cognitive biases
I designed a set of 40 icons to represent an array of biases. These icons are used throughout the book to help the reader learn about different biases that affect our decision-making process.The icons are monochromatic with a 1:1 aspect ratio for a cohesive look. The icons work both at a small and large scale, balancing detail and simplicity.
An example of an icon from sketch to final:
In context:
Bookmark Illustrations
I illustrated a set of bookmarks to help promote the book and to be shared at the book launch.
Charlie, her Pyrenese dog, is featured in one of her stories and is the book’s unofficial mascot, so it felt natural to make him the star.You can check out the printing process here! In collaboration with riso printer, Chloe Ng
Initial Concept Phase
I helped come up with visual concepts and sketches to accompany some of the questions in the book.
These sketches were not ultimately used, but served as a starting point.Check out the author’s process here