 The photography for the album was handled by drummer Shannon Leto , with additional works provided by Ken Schles . The cover art features a teenage boy and some of the band 's symbolism . It includes a phoenix logo , named " Mithra " by the band , that bears the motto " Provehito in Altum " . Roughly translated from Latin , the phrase means " Launch forth into the deep " . The band chose a phoenix for its association with rebirth and renewal in the Greek mythology . The group expressed interest in signs and symbols and their relationships with cultures and subcultures . The album 's cover art was unveiled through the band 's official website on July 29 , 2002 . However , it was not conceived to be the original concept for the artwork . The initial cover art was discontinued and destroyed during production following the September 11 attacks due to the graphic content of the image . It featured a fighter pilot ejecting from an exploding plane . Thirty Seconds to Mars explained that they never saw it as a violent image , but felt that it was inappropriate in the wake of the events . 
