Short Cuts

Short Cuts, published by Icon Books (later rebranded as Navigating by Riverside Press) is a book series designed to make complex subjects accessible through concise expert writing and bold full-page illustration. Each volume poses 50 essential questions paired with visual responses. I have contributed illustrations to four titles across the series: Philosophy (2023), Maths (2024), Biodiversity (2024) and Artificial Intelligence (2025).

Illustration — Across all four books I created a total of 200 illustrations, each responding to a specific question or concept – from metaphysics and mathematical abstraction to ecosystem dynamics and the ethics of AI. The challenge in each case was to distil complex, often abstract ideas into a single image that feels both immediate and intellectually precise. The visual language draws on symbolic thinking, clean composition, and a deliberately limited colour palette unique to each volume.

Technique — Every book was printed in three spot colours, with the palette chosen to suit its subject: blue, yellow and pink for Philosophy; blue, green and burgundy for Biodiversity; orange, yellow and blue for Maths; and blue, magenta and yellow for Artificial Intelligence. By working with layering and transparency, the illustrations build depth and texture within these constraints – arriving at something playful but conceptually rich.

Series — Working repeatedly within this format has allowed a consistent methodology to develop: using restraint as a creative tool, letting structure and visual economy carry meaning where words give way to images.