Murder Maps: Phrenology to Fingerprint 1811–1911

2020
Thames & Hudson
London

Authored by Drew Grey, Murder Maps: Phrenology to Fingerprint 1811–1911 is a cartographic exposition of the 19th century’s most dramatic and intriguing murders from the world’s most crime-ridden cities and regions. The typography responds to the development of police methods and technology, with the typeface selection taken from the newly drawn ‘industrial’ typefaces in the 18th century. In the book, all elements of each crime are meticulously replotted on archival maps, from the prior movements of both killer and the victim to the eventual location of the body. The book is laid out in a similar methodical way, the grid-based layout is uniform, organised and decluttered. The design borrows from the late Victorian layout and decoration brought into the modern era.