With how little we know of the ocean, it’s no wonder the image of a massive creature lurking just beneath the waves fills so many of us with both awe and terror. That’s why when working on this project — a cover illustration, two spreads, and the accompanying type — it was so important that I captured not just the look of an aquatic beast, but the feeling the inky darkness instills in us.

Using Procreate to blend photos with some partially abstracted illustration, I created a lingering sense that the looming toothed monster might exist solely within one’s imagination. I then took this imagery into Adobe InDesign to build the layouts for my spreads and text, opting for a combination of handwritten and sans-serif type to play with the crossing of the primal and clinical.

A crucial element in these illustrations lies in the characters' obliviousness to what lies beneath them. Thalassophobia transcends the fear of a tangible creature; it embodies the relentless dread of the unknown lurking within the shadows.