Balaji Srinivasan
The Network State
A visual identity for The Network State.
I designed the book cover and NFT identity for Balaji Srinivasan’s The Network State, giving an abstract idea a recognisable visual form.
- Client
- Balaji Srinivasan
- Role
- Visual Design
- Year
- 2022
How do you picture a network state?
The book proposes a country that begins as an online community. The cover needed to make that unfamiliar idea tangible, connecting a digital network to the physical world.
- Three distinct communities
- A visible network connecting them
- Physical terrain beneath the network
Finding the form
I explored how networks could sit above, beside, and within the landscape. The layered sketch gave us a direction to develop.
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Network cloud
A network floating above a cross-section of the Earth.
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Two perspectives
Network and terrain, seen from two viewpoints at once.
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Connected layers
An exploded view separating the idea into layers. We chose this route.
Making the idea clearer
The cover was trying to explain too much. I reduced the size of the Earth, replaced flags with points, and used three familiar symbols to represent the communities.
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Final cover
A smaller Earth, simpler connections, and three recognisable symbols.
Three symbols
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Spiritual state
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Crypto state
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