503 - Penguin Book Cover - Design Direction

I began doing some more visual research into what a popular crime novel's cover can look like, trying to focus on the different trends and styles which are involved and how I can adapt these more modern styles to my own advantage. This developed into me focusing in on and exploring how I could really try out these French styled illustrations which I have been admiring, giving me the chance to start really getting back to basics with Adobe Illustrator and developing my digital style which is something I have stated as a goal of mine for the year.

This textured illustration style gives off a more retro vintage-y kind of feel, which potentially could suit In Cold Blood and the context I'm trying to portray. The limited but quite rich colour scheme adds to this illustration and it is the light seeping around the door which centres this ambiguous and mysterious lust that comes with the cover. 

Double contrasted illustration styles are becoming an increasingly popular trend in current design, with engaging silhouettes of characters making up elements of the cover, fitting within the larger picture. It has been popular with film covers aswell because the technique can be adapted and twisted to various, refined illustration styles. I would refer to it as more considered, smart design which appeals to the more educated target audience that comes with In Cold Blood. Coloured covers are nearly always paired with bold type - this is something important to consider as it can change the whole feeling and tone of voice of the book from the portrayal of the cover.

This demonstrates how patterning and borders paired with a hard hitting relevant typeface can compliment a simple illustration. It is quite specific to an art deco styled cover however. 

A modern slant on how you can do a typical crime drama styled cover. Bold sans serif type, tarmac and a gun, being the main attention grabber for this target audience. This one also featuring orange flowers around the sides most likely being something reflective within the story line, showing how I can be considerate with subtle hints to the story on the cover.

A very obvious response to this style of book in my opinion - the typical murder weapon being the main attraction point on the cover. I want to be inspired by the simplicity and recognisability of the concept, but I do want to represent a cover with something that stimulates the viewer more.

















Typographical Response - I could approach the cover with a purely typographical approach, the same as a couple of the previously published covers for the book and also a previous winning entry I like which was for the Penguin competition aswell. 
I think experimentation with serif typefaces will be more appropriate for the style and era of the book, to really enhance the character and sincerity behind the actual content. 

One of my favourite previously published responses for the book. The bold type is attention grabbing being side on, especially surrounded by the ripped effect and bright orange background.

A graphically considered type response, with a more interactive playful typesetting style, which evokes character. The rest of the serif type is managed proportionally and neatly by the segregating lines, with the sheer style and effectiveness of the cover being this scanned in highlighter pen, aiding your eyes upon viewing it.  

Following on from the lines being used as a tool to separate the information on the page; a more structured grid system can be used to do the same thing. This inspiration coming from a piece of German design, featuring the strong and impactful, amulated type which sits so nicely in sections on the cover.











Illustrative Approach - But I started to think about how I could start adapting a more vectorised illustrative style to the cover and be inspired by some of the best in my opinion. Overall I want it to be able to reflect this modern style which is giving this new perspective on the classic book title. 
The illustrative style follows rich but limited colour schemes which give off this retro-but somewhat futuristic and sophisticated design direction which could be quite compatible with these more intelligently considered reads. 

Jeremy Booth is an illustrator/designer from Kentucky. He is self-taught and was introduced to digital illustration his mid 20s, which is when he started to find he really connected with it. He went on to turn that exploration into a profession and through being an admirer of photography Jeremy spends a lot of his time studying light and harsh shadows, which plays a key noticeable role in his work; often referred to as the “Vector Noir.”

I feel greatly drawn to Booth's whole minimal but sharp aesthetic and feel it could really be adapted onto a portrait book cover - accompanied by equally strong, well placed typography. The strict elegance of the style would be attention grabbing on a shelf of books, but not too overwhelming. 

Everyone of his pieces makes use of a slightly varied, rich but still very restrictive colour scheme. I will take swabs of these and begin building my own colour palettes that could be developed into my responses.

Some more work of illustrators that I am inspired by..

Sebastien Plassard is an example of a modern illustrator who applies tasteful textures to his prints which add to this overall mysterious and beautiful style. Textures and more considered brush strokes are techniques of illustration I would like to be able to build up to and experiment with once I get to grips with it.

Again the focus is very much so on a central object, which everything draws into. This would be perfectly adaptable to a cover with type featuring around it.
I love this use of a single light hanging down and creating this masked section of detail within the illustration.

A very clean but sharp style again which could create that intriguing nature a book cover needs to have, enticing the viewer to pick it up off the shelf.