The cover design shows sunrise through a doorway of the great kiva, Casa Rinconada. Ideum took most of the photographs included in the book.

A satellite image of Chaco Canyon, provided by Space Imaging, appears on the back cover.

Inside the book, two-page spreads include one full-bleed image along with text and smaller images. This page discusses the sharp contrast in the seasons at Chaco and the importance of the rainfall in the high-desert.

Lightning strikes New Alto during a violent summer thunderstorm. Chaco Canyon receives most of its rainfall during the late summer, sometimes called the "monsoon season." This image is the second page of the spread focusing on the seasons.

For the book, Ideum created an original font called Excavation. Architectural drawings created in the 1930s by archaeologists in the canyon inspired its design.