The German Genius is a survey of German thinkers and thought by author Peter Watson. The subtitle was long and abstract, and the manuscript ran nearly 1,000 pages, so I worried that the book might intimidate potential readers. My solution was to throw out the design brief and write my own. I moved all information (title, subtitle, author) off the cover and onto the sizable spine. I then selected quotes about Germans and Germany from within the manuscript and created an overall design and type treatment (using Fette Deutsche Schrift). An uncoated paper stock finishes the job.