Designer's Dissection: Clockwork Angels (Book and Album)

Wendy Tabor RGD shares her favourite design, discussing its strengths, weaknesses and how it could be done differently for today’s trends.

Can you describe the design you're focusing on?

The design I'm discussing is Clockwork Angels, an album released on June 12, 2012, by the legendary Canadian band Rush. The novelization of the album was brought to life by Kevin J. Anderson, a long-time friend of Neil Peart. I met Kevin Anderson at the 2023 DragonCon and geeked out because I have been a fan of his for many years. He signed my book and it now takes pride of place in my heart and on my bookshelf.

What do you like about the design? What would you consider to be an important reason for dissecting this design?

I’m fascinated by the clockface symbols and how they took inspiration from alchemical and hermetic runes.  While there is a great deal of overlap in their meanings, there are themes of elements, resources and references to changing seasons throughout. Here's a short article that describes the meanings of the runes in the story. As a long-time fan of Rush and Kevin J. Anderson, I couldn't help but reflect on how the design cohesion between the Clockwork Angels album and its novelization could be updated. When Clockwork Angels came out in 2012, the graphic design world looked quite different from what it is today. Although design trends come and go, many basic principles like unity, composition and strong typography remain steadfast in our practices.

What are some potential inconsistencies in the design?

I noticed two conflicting concepts: a runic clockface and an airship illustration. These concepts have nothing in common, making for a disjointed experience.

Describe the project?

In the current design, the tower and the Clockwork Angels are on the right-hand side, dominating most of the space. Owen is standing in the crowd toward the front panel's left side, where the concept is extended onto the back. The crowd surrounding Owen loses visual detail as the viewer looks right to left: from the foreground to the midground and background, then toward the spine. The book's spine serves as a transition area with minimal visual details, allowing the typography, rendered in a sans-serif typeface, to dominate. On the back cover, the crowd continues until it reaches the left side, where a shadowed, bricked alley wall blocks the crowd. Tucked away, under a different painted symbol used in the story, the shadow of the antagonist creates an air of mystery.

What changes would you make? 

Typographic and branding elements could be added to the ample space where the sky would be. Bernhold Modern was customized in the original designs to create the runes and the Rush logo. I never thought it was the best choice because it is a modern interpretation of the old-style engraving faces from the early 20th century. It doesn’t convey that industrial steampunk style to me. It's too contemporary for the genre. I would use a typeface like Starship, created by Cruzine, for the title. The combination of solid flourishes and swirls subtly enhances the tone of the music and story. For the RUSH logo and synopsis or song titles, it's essential to create a clear typographic contrast using a sans-serif typeface like Proxima Nova. The Watchmaker, the antagonist, values order in all things. The stark difference in the two typefaces is an intelligent way to convey their differences visually. I would design the runes by hand. This would be an exciting exercise to bring ancient letterforms to our present day.

Would your design approach be different? How? 

My approach would involve three key steps. First, I would establish a single direction for both pieces to create a sense of unity on a conceptual level. Second, I would address the visual style. Steampunk fantasy is a stylistically rich genre both in writing and visuals, which makes the final third step—addressing the composition of the covers and wrapping up with typography considerations—all the more important.

What are the key considerations when updating a classic design?

In the graphic design world, a decade is a lifetime, and as trends and needs evolve, we must remain faithful to the enduring principles that have long guided our craft. With countless stories waiting to be revitalized, we can breathe new life into them and share our favourites with future generations. By harmonizing the visual elements, the Clockwork Angels saga can be brought into the present in a way that resonates deeply with fans and honours the creative collaboration between Rush and Kevin J. Anderson.