A Sound of Thunder is a science fiction short story written by Ray Bradbury in 1952. This story is often credited as the origin of the term butterfly effect, which is a concept of chaos theory in which something as simple as the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in one part of the world could create a hurricane in another. I wanted to capture this effect and display it through the unraveling of type, structure, and readability as the story progresses in my own 36 page publication design.
The story entails a group of people from 2055 using Time Safari Inc. to go back in time in order to hunt and kill a Tyrannosaurus Rex. I drew inspiration from safaris for my cover design by making a notebook/sketchbook style clasp for easy carrying.
With the nature inspired images and rugged display type for the titles, I tried to capture the grit of the excursion back into the Late Cretaceous period. Red, inspired by the blood and red paint included throughout the story, is used in the folios, sparingly throughout the text, and, most notably, the cover.
An additional part of the project was to create a promotional piece for the publication, as if we were really publishing it and wanted to boost our sales. For this, I designed a train-style ticket that sits in a pocket on the right hand side of the inside cover. This ticket has the motto from Time Safari Inc. on the back and punch-slots to indicate different time periods you have traveled to. The bottom of the ticket is a tearaway coupon for the buyer to give to one of their friends for 25% off of their own copy of A Sound of Thunder.
