503 - Penguin Book Cover - Type & Development

I had developed the basic idea for what I wanted to capture with my cover in terms of typography, from the grid experiments. But I knew I needed to actually go through a variety of different typefaces to see which is most appropriate and fitting for the tone of voice of the cover.

I narrowed it down to Narziss, Didot, Bodoni and Otama for the serif typeface.
But I felt dead set on Futura as the contrasting sans serif typeface for the authors name on the cover and main bit of bulk text. As it fits the retro kind of old-style that comes with the quite old classic novel, also pairs well with the traditional feel that comes with the serif typeface.

Narziss Cy Pro - Very bold typeface, high x-height makes it feel wide and impactful but maybe not appropriate for the sincerity of 'In Cold Blood'. I also haven't got access to the whole type family meaning I can't make use of varied weights for consistency across the cover.

Didot - Nice contrasting line weights, lower x-height and thinner form does make it feel too tall and not strong enough for a piece of cover type.

Bodoni - In between the above two fonts, looks just right in terms of boldness and form; and the serifs feel much more traditional in comparison to the sharper/straight lines on the previous two - positive or negative?

Otama - Again, in terms of form it is perfectly in-between the first two type options. Does have much more character to it than Bodoni however, and the sharp serifs are what usher me closer towards that modern slant on a traditional classic - the book and typeface style!

After a discussion in a group of varied disciplined course-mates I was able to decide that Otama was just right out of them all, especially as the version of the font family I have access to has availability in thinner line weights that can be used for the quote on the back, to mix it up on the back cover, but keep this consistency across the spread.

I applied the decisions made to the cover design but then realised I had forgotten about the Penguin Guideline of the need to include 'A True Account of a Multiple Murder & It's Consequences', so I worked that into the most appropriate spot which would compliment it, and not take away from any of the other sections of the cover.

With my developed research/knowledge of how I would apply the typography to the cover spread, I went back to my second illustration with a fresh mindset and approached each aspect which needed adjustments to heighten quality for finalisation. 

I first adapted the skin colours on the illustration to provide that extra bit of realism rather than an ambiguous colour choice. 
Then I thought about how I can improve the details in the illustration, as it looked too flat - needed either a gradient or a solid shadow.

I worked back into the illustration as a whole piece, considering how I could portray it as a full room scene which could spreads across both covers. Having the shadow stretching across to the far wall, which would be a plain, darker colour which would be where the type can be set. I applied the same typefaces, Otama & Futura, following on from my research and decisions made previously.

I did begin to try and think how I could push it that little bit further, and perhaps apply the shadow to that far wall aswell but I didn't want to over-complicate it at this point. I was ready for the scheduled crit session for 503 tomorrow, which I can take these 2 different designs to and get feedback for finalisation.