ABOUT THE PROJECT

SurrealDB Book Illustrations

Editorial illustration was the core of our 2024 collaboration with SurrealDB, a pioneer in cutting-edge database solutions. Specifically, we developed this unique visual series to help users navigate advanced technology more intuitively. While SurrealDB offers powerful tools, the system often presents a steep learning curve for beginners. Therefore, SurrealDB initiated the creation of an online book -a guide to understanding databases.

As a result, we produced 20 editorial illustrations for Aeon’s Surreal Renaissance. These visuals lead readers through a post-apocalyptic world where a new society rebuilds itself. In addition, the characters rediscover lost database technology as they explore this wasteland. Consequently, our editorial illustration work transforms complex technical concepts into an engaging visual odyssey.

Below, you can find the sketches, finalized illustrations, and other project highlights.

CLIENT

ILLUSTRATION

SurrealDB

Dmytro Hladkyi

Dmitry Kazak

STORYBOARD

PROCESS

The workflow begins with the Sketch phase, where the initial concept is developed through rough visual exploration. This is followed by Clean Linework to create refined outlines and precise details. During the Base Colors stage, the foundational color layers are established to set the palette. Finally, the process concludes with Final Touches, adding textures, shadows, and subtle details to bring the editorial illustrations to life.

Editorial illustration process: surrealdb post-apocalyptic scene from sketch to final color

SKETCH

CLEAN LINEWORK

BASE COLORS

FINAL TOUCHES

ILLUSTRATIONS

Each scene tells a unique story for a new chapter, tied together by the brand’s signature pink. A custom-made texture brush was used across all illustrations to ensure a consistent and tactile visual style.

Editorial illustration of a lantern explorer finding an ancient laptop for SurrealDB.
Editorial illustration: a hooded character working at vintage computers in the dark.
Editorial illustration of a person holding 'The Formula' book and a mug.
Editorial illustrations for SurrealDB: character at a data portal terminal.
Editorial illustrations for SurrealDB showing a peaceful landscape and writing desk.
Editorial illustrations for SurrealDB featuring knights on horseback at sunset.
A hooded figure shakes hands with a prince in an embroidered tunic, with a friendly brown horse standing nearby.
A family, including parents and a child, gather around a glowing futuristic touch-screen table displaying data charts.
An astronomer in robes on a grassy hill reviews a scroll with ancient glyphs while observing a stone tower observatory.
Editorial illustrations of surrealdb a team planning with maps and laptops around a table.
A wealthy official with a mustache holds a coin pouch at a desk.
A vast fleet of ships on a purple-pink sea, with a man ringing a bell.
An office scene where a scholar sitting at a futuristic console terminal hands a thick book to someone standing in a doorway.
A stout viking holding a classic laptop stands next to two medieval peasants near a small, simple old house.
A person looks through a window at a violet comet over a town.
A knight enters a dark room filled with books and old computer equipment.
Two characters sitting under a tree, overlooking a vast landscape with a city in the distance.

Looking to bring your brand or book to life with a unique visual story?

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