Book cover design concept for Edward P. Jones's novel, The Known World. The woodblock typography references traditional printing and design of the late 1800s and early 1900s in America, where the novel takes place. The interlocking symbols allude to the content of the story, where multiple characters' lives are intertwined as they deal with the impending dissolution of slavery. The CMYK color scheme and printing also abstractly address the underlying themes of power and racial dynamics in America, as well as their prominence in society in both the past and present times.