The Bible as you’ve never seen it before - this is the creation of a Carlisle designer and illustrator.

Karen Sawrey, from Denton Holme, has spent the past five years working on The Infographic Bible. It was published last week by HarperCollins.

Infographics are graphs, diagrams and other images designed to present complex information in an easily understandable form.

Karen, 42, designed and illustrated the book in her home studio, as well as analysing data and managing a team of 57 advisors around the world.

Karen, a practicing Christian, says: “I’ve worked in print and design for 24 years.

HarperCollins asked me to pitch for this project, they’ve published several books in the series, including The Infographic History of the World and An Infographic Guide to Science.

“HarperCollins decided there’s an exploding visual language at the moment – it’s driven by things like emojis.

“Because people are bombarded by information and data, they are demanding that it’s presented to them in a way that is visual with the least words possible.

“The toilet sign and the fire exit sign: everybody understands those images. You don’t need words to understand what they mean.

“Research says that where there’s lots of information, if you attach a visual or a learning activity to it, what the audience retains increases by 89 per cent. The brain has a visual link to it which makes it easier to remember.”

Deciding what to include from the mass of information in the Bible was sometimes difficult.

“The data had to be formed by Biblical scholars,” says Karen. “That’s why it took five years. I’m not a Biblical scholar. So I gathered a team of 57 advisors. What are the key subjects I have to cover? They would advise me.

“I gathered a range of views from different theological backgrounds. They didn’t always agree with each other. I’m not going to shy away from different opinions and theologies. All these guys are centred around one thing: Jesus.

“The main aim is to show that God’s word can be approached, wrestled with, analysed and meditated on.

“The Bible is one of the key places we encounter God and his heart for a relationship with us – bringing nourishment and wholeness as we interact with it.”

HarperCollins gave Karen licence to decide what went into the book and how to present it.

“What does the data look like? What type of infographic would best illustrate it? I portrayed the plagues of Egypt as a game of snakes and ladders. I wanted to show the drama, and I want the readers to interact and experience that rollercoaster.

“I’ve done the story of creation as a colouring book. It’s ways for people to interact with the information.”

A section on wellbeing and wellness features a graphic of a life raft with Biblical quotations, including this from Romans 15:13: ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.’”

Karen says: “It’s not a replacement for the Bible. It gives a meta-narrative, from Genesis to Revelation. It can be helpful to zoom out to the Bible’s big picture, revealing an amazing relational journey between us and God.

“I made it so the book is accessible to anybody, if they’ve read the Bible 100 times or never set a toenail over a church threshold. That includes atheists and people of other faiths. No matter where your personal journey is with God.

“It’s for people of all ages but written with the millennium generation in mind. It’s taking the Biblical scholars’ knowledge and strips away the Bible’s archaic and religious language, taking the street language of today.

“This whole book is based on relationships. It’s based on my relationship with God. I couldn’t have done it without my faith. I had to have a passion for this to do it for five years.

“For the last two and a half years it’s been intense: six days a week, 60 to 75 hours a week.

“I’ve had support from friends with things like shopping. All my experience, knowledge and passion has been poured into these pages.”

The Carlisle branch of Waterstones hosted a well-attended book signing last week.

The Infographic Bible has also been published in the USA. A German translation has been issued and a Russian edition is on the way.

“To do this from Cumbria, with the help of lots of people here, is a dream come true for me,” says Karen. “To say I’m honoured is an understatement.”

Karen grew up in Hensingham, Whitehaven, and lived there until her early 20s. She worked at Print Express in Hensingham for seven years before moving to Carlisle to work for Christian book company STL.

A spell in London saw Karen work for magazines including Red, as well as charities and publishers, including HarperCollins.

She returned to Cumbria 11 years ago.

A HarperCollins statement about The Infographic Bible said: “Billions of people across the world find solace, meaning and wisdom from reading the Bible. But for some, it can be a difficult book to engage with and understand.

“In this pioneering book Karen Sawrey shows you the Bible as you’ve never seen it before, using powerful infographics, with data sourced by experts in their fields, to communicate the key Biblical themes and narratives.

“It reveals new beauty, meaning and connections in the key Biblical themes and narratives, bringing the Bible to life on the page. It has revolutionised the Bible for a modern generation.”

n Visit www.theinfographicbible.com for more information.