The Folio Society is renowned for publishing exquisitely crafted editions of fine literature, with an emphasis on beautiful typography and illustration. I was approached by the team to design the cover, spine and slipcase artwork for the epic three volume set; A History of Christianity by Diarmaid MacCulloch. 

The book is split into three clothbound volumes reflecting the book's subtitle: ‘The First Three Thousand Years’. A cross was chosen to represent each millennia. The first volume depicts a Chi Rho, an early Christian monogram, combined here with Alpha and Omega glyphs, representing the beginning and end. The second cover features a double armed, Reliquary cross from c.1180. These hollow crosses were often quite. ornate and contained holy relics. The third is a processional cross, inspired by a bronze Ethiopian design from the 18th-century and represents the church’s expansion into the New World.

While each cross is stylistically very distinct, I drew them with similar proportions and a shared symmetry to balance them as a set. To ensure a visual cohesion across the covers I created a grid that each cross could be mapped on to. This grid was then also used to align the elements on the spine and slipcase. Around each cross I wove a pattern of vines, thorny brambles and palm leaves that were then echoed on the spines and the amalgamated slipcase design.