Makkah to Madinah: A Photographic Journey of the Hijrah Route written by Saudi Arabian scholar and vice president of the University of Dammam Dr. Abdullah H. Alkadi, is a complete Inspiral Design production. Key features of the book’s design included its square format, detailed maps, striking photography and elegant management of English and Arabic typography.

Imparting an old map feel, the commissioned illustrator transformed the eight-day journey into a hand-drawn linocut map that was spread throughout the book. This handcrafted feature was well suited to the square format that also showed off the panoramic images of the almost untouched landscapes on the route. To overcome the challenge of overcast skies prevalent in the photographs, extensive post-production Photoshop work was done.

The brilliant blue book jacket is adorned with an adaptation of a timeless painting to reflect the journey completed predominantly in the evening and at dusk. In addition to the foil-blocked titling, special metallic ink was used throughout the inner pages, overlaid with coloured inks that give it a splendid finish.