The illustrations that appear in the book were created in Macromedia Freehand by Chris Reilley and Robert Romano. This colophon was written by Clairemarie Fisher O'Leary. The insect featured on the cover of Oracle Design is a dragonfly of the family Libellulidae, or common skimmer. Dragonflies, along with damselflies, com prise the order Odonata. Dragonflies are predatory insects.
Young dragonflies are aquatic insects.
By drawing water in through their gills, located in the posterior of their abdomens, and quickly forcing it out again they are able to powerfully propel themselves across the water surface. This technique is used in emergencies when a quick getaway is called for. Mature dragonflies are among nature's most impressive fliers. Because they achieve great speed and power relative to their size, their flying techniques have been studied extensively by aviation engineers. Dragonflies are able to fly as fast as 35 miles per hour, and to perform impressive mid-air acrobatics.