Balaji Srinivasan The Network State

Balaji Srinivasan:
The Network State

Role

Visual Designer

Core Team

1 founder, 1 designer

Timeline

4 weeks

How can we design a cover that visualizes such a bold and new idea?

Situation

Balaji Srinivasan has a superpower you should know about. The former Coinbase CTO and entrepreneur can predict the future. His latest prediction? Start up societies are the future. His highly anticipated book The Network State would introduce the world to the guide on starting a country. I was selected to design its cover.

Challenge

How do we create a succinct book cover that clearly communicates an unfamiliar concept? The cover needed to include key ideas. Three distinct network states. An obvious network connecting them. A physical terrain under networks.

Product Type

Book Visual Identity

Business Focus

Create a new book identity

Initial Concepts

I created various concepts exploring interconnected networks over Earth.

Initial concept sketch exploring interconnected networks
Early network visualization concept
Network state terrain exploration
Connected network concept sketch

Illustration Explorations

Designing the three network states. Initially, I designed various illustrations to represent three network states. A space state, a crypto state, and a robot state. These illustrations were too complex. So we simplified the designs.

Icon illustrations for the three network states
Network Cloud
Two Perspectives
Connected Layers

Network
Cloud

I explored showing a section view of the Earth with a network floating above.

Two
Perspectives

I explored showing the Earth from two perspectives at once. The network on the left and terrain on the right.

Connected
Layers

I showed the team a sketch of an assembly or exploded view of a network state. We chose this route.

Network Cloud
Round 1

Network Cloud

I explored showing a section view of the Earth with a network floating above.

Two Perspectives
Round 2

Two Perspectives

I explored showing the Earth from two perspectives at once. The network on the left and terrain on the right.

Connected Layers
Round 3

Connected Layers

I showed the team a sketch of an assembly or exploded view of a network state. We chose this route.

Three Symbols

Each network state needed a recognizable symbol. The yin-yang represents balance, bitcoin represents decentralized currency, and the vitruvian man represents human potential.

Yin-yang symbol representing balance
Yin-yang — balance between physical and digital worlds
Bitcoin symbol representing decentralized currency
Bitcoin — decentralized currency powering the network
Vitruvian man representing human potential
Vitruvian man — human potential at the center

Final Result

Final design result

The final cover brings together the three network states in an exploded assembly view — layers of terrain, network connections, and symbolic icons stacked to visualize the concept of building a new country from the internet up.