The Poster so far.....

this is the poster so far and i'm really pleased i think its dramatic enought to attract attention and in keeping enough to fully embody the Big Sleep. i like the cracked texture a lot which is mimicked in my cover and intergrates a grittier feel. i wasnt sure if the blood stain needed to the crack as well but i think it helps to brighten the red and seperate it texturally from the backdrop. i also wasnt sure if i should place both the covers on my poster but i felt that from a design perspective that both sides were needed to fully infer the story and practically balance the poster. i tried to make my chosen quote look like it was seeping from the knight but im not sure how successful this is so i plan to bring this up in the crit.

Making the Poster in Photoshop 2

after i added in my book cover i wanted to add a small design that would concur with my cover but would differ and provoke a bit of interest since the purpose of the poster is displaying the redesigned cover and advertising the book. since chess pieces was a major concept i opted to continue this theme and decided that i would incoporate a broken knight ( to represent the main character detective Phillip Marlowe).
i had a few scribbles in my sketchbook that i used for inspiration, i drew out the basic shape in illustrator since i preferred the drawing tools to the ones in illustrator. after i had my shape i saved as an adobe pdf and reopened in photoshop. dragging the design into a central position on a new layer.

 

i used the poster edges filter on the knight to define my lines  and to blend my shading i also found that this filter incorporated a cartoony style which conicided with my cover. i briefly experimented with the ink filter but the red was lost  a key element which i thought was needed to match the red of the book cover.

on the left hand knight abover i've added this fractured glass texture ( something i experimented a lot within my sketchbook) again the picture was found from shutterstock on the internet. i placed this texture across the bottom half of my poster atop my knight and the bloodstain erasing round the areas in between, before experimenting with the blending mode. vivid light was my favourite since it brightened up the knight and made the blood look incredibly vivid.

after this was done i added a few extra lines of text ( my name, Raymond Chandler and a quote which i thought directly related to my design) and i did this in much the same way as the previous text.

 

Making the Poster in Photoshop 1

since i designed my book cover in Illustrator and the brief specifically asked for photoshop software to be used i decided to create my poster in photoshop which would allow me to use a varitey of filters and textures.
since my cover had to be on the poster i saved by poster as both a working illustrator files and an adobe pdf in order to open it within photoshop.

i found this simple upright shutter stock book image on the internet and thought it would make a perfect base for my book cover. since both the back and front of my book cover convey the big sleep storyline best together ive decided to place both the back and front on the poster. i knew that a black bacground would generate more of a contrast so i filled the background layer before introducing my two covers.

since the penguin template seperated by design clearly into back front and spine it was easy to copy each half of the cover and place them atop my base book. in order to align the angles correctly i went to edit-transfort and then distort which enabled me to stretch both covers across the book base.
after this was completed i incorporated the simple heading which i made to match my blurb. a simple fill rectangle as a frame and an OCR typewriter font.

book cover so far ...

the design so far....
im really really pleased i think it looks really good and accurate to my hand- drawn design on paper, everything seems to work together well which is nice and im glad that i shaded by figures with a textural brush which really suggests contrast without being too obvious. i may get rid of the smoke coming from the gun since it looks a little cramped and im not sure on the positioning of the Ian Rankin at the top but i didnt know where else to put it since i wanted to balance the frame  i plan on bringing up these small details in the crit to see what my peers think of them. i only just managed to fit all the writing on the back of my cover so it could be a little small but theres no way or rectifying that without altering the knight which i think it too complicated ( since i've got him and the knight just right) but i dont think it matters too much since the text is only one size smaller than i origionally planned.

The Blurb

when i was adding the blurb to my back cover i thought that the text looked a little bland without some kind of background because of this i decided to add some background white strips to encompass each line. it was supposed to create a typewritten strip effect which i thought fit in well with my font choice. adding some subtle angles made it look more fun and jaunty which related well with the angular positioning of my title.

Making the book cover- the text

 

I couldnt find any premade fonts that looked how i wanted my title to look so i opted to make my own, drawing it out using the pen tool. i wanted it to match the rest of my design but i also wanted to intergrate a playful element so i decided to generate something with a jagged angular cut out look which obviously concurred with the silhouette chess pieces.im not really sure if its of the deco period but it matches and works well in my design so im happy.

i paired my hand-drawn title with OCR std typewriter font which i then used for the smaller text on the rest of the cover ( author name, Phillip Marlowe mystery introduction by Ian Rankin) i made this font bolder by adding a white stroke. i plan on using this font ( which is more reminicient of the cliche detective) for my blurb although i dont plan on including the stroke.

Making the cover 3- gambling smoke and bullets

 adding the basic swirl shapes of the smoke helped to fill some of the excess space on the chest piece simultaneously intergrating a delicacy that contrasted against the blocky fill shapes. they're very simple and im not sure if they should be filled or not i plan on  deciding after i've made the rest of the cover.

looking at the smoke swirls round the man i think they look better blank which helps to keep them seperate from the fill character.

the crack was made by first using the pen tool to create a jagged fill shape, i then added some simple brush strokes using a thin ordinary paintbrush ( using the graphics tablet made it so much easier to position all the fractures). i then used the pen tool to create a simple fill oblong that worked at the bullet before introducing some white brush strokes to intergrate movement and give the bullet a rounded shape. as an additional detail i incorporated a blood drop which reminded me a lot of the casino royale poster i researched, im not really sure if its needed but i may bring it up in the crit and see what everyone else thinks.

it was always in the plan to add the roulette wheel to the top of my queen (  the queen is supposed to represent the femme fatale characters within the novel which could be either of the Sternwood sisters, since the naked figure references Carmen i thought the roulette wheel could reference Vivian). its a very basic emblem but its fairly small so i didnt think that additional detail mattered much.

 

Making the cover 2- Shading

 

since i had the basic outline drawn i began by intergrating a sense of realism and depth by shading my characters- i knew they were going to be blank silhouettes but i didnt want them to be solid fill i wanted them to contrast against the chess pieces in more than just colour. in order to do this i opted to shade in my characters by using the scroll brush tool something i had practised using in the previous project. the scroll brushes were a collection of lines which when layered almost generates a cross hatch effect and were perfect for intergrating texture. since i thought they still looked a little flat with just the white brush strokes i also incorporated some grey lines which i used to form shadow. on the detective i mostly emphasised the lines of his coat and hat in order to segment the face from the body. in the femme fatale character i knew she was going to be naked ( since shes based off of the character Carmen Sternwood who appears unclothed twice in the novel) so i wanted to make this apparent without being too obvious so i applied the shadow along the contours of her body.

starting the book cover in Illustrator

I began by using the template downloaded from the Penguin Book Award website i  emphasised the bleeds using the line tool to make sure that i worked within the correct space and filled the background with my chosen shade of red keeping the necessary  logos and  the barcode visible.

once i had a base to work from i started creating my design by drawing out the simple silhouettes using the pen tool. since the silhouettes were relatively simple it was a fairly easy process to generate the correct shapes.i  added a thick white stroke in order to make a bold outline that would seperate the black fill from the red. the knight is pretty much the perfect size but i may need to make the queen thicker when adding my female figure. after both silhouettes were drawn i then created a new layer ( i want to keep everything labelled, layered and organized something i neglected to do in the last project) and again using the pen tool created the bloodstain. i tried to make it look like the blood was dripping off an edge in order to have the drops cascading downwards to make a base that linked both the front and back together.

 

 

afterwards i then roughly drew out the outlines of my two figures on seperate layers again i used the pen tool- thankfully the outlines didnt have to be too neat or accurate since they were only supposed to be silhouettes so it was a quick process. although i did adjust my anchor points using the white arrow tool which did help to smooth out the shapes. in my pitch it was pointed out that the gun needed to be included in the knight so i added it seperately in order to establish the right proportions. i also thought that the female needed a more visible left arm in order to clarify the figure so i also added that shape as well. so far im really pleased with how it looks and the people although i'll have a better idea once i've shaded in the two characters.

the final sketchbook design tweaked after pitch

this is my final sketchbook design - ive tweaked the male figure so the gun is  apart of the knight added in where the blurb would go in a vague approximation of the ocr std font i plan on using. i have also neatened up the big sleep font, added a red blood drop to the queen and used the correct dimensions on the spine in order to establish how much i can fit on there. the only thing that i plan on changing when i begin using illustrator is the female form whose other arm needs to be more visible in order to fully convey the concept of the figure. now that ive tweaked the design and have how it will look on paper i'm very excited about translating it into illustrator which should be fairly simple since my design revolves around fill shapes and silhouettes.

The Pitch

i began my pitch by briefly displaying some of my initial research to give a vague idea of how i approached the project.

 

since i instantly researched silhouettes and knew that i wanted to include them in my design i showed some of the more effective ones i found ( they were all book covers which also gave me an idea of how effective silhouettes can look on an actual cover). i then looked into Matisse's work whose cut out playful jagged style was what i wanted to emulate.

when considering fonts i knew that i needed to look for two- one for the title and another for the blurb and possibly authors name. for the main title i wanted to create something that matched the cut out silhouette style- i liked the font on the modern and current cover of the big sleep but i wanted something a little edgier and jagged. i did look briefly into some previously existing fonts that referenced the art deco period but i found them all to clean and neat and not in keeping at all with my design because of this i want to make my own font for the big sleep ( ive drawn it out roughly in the right). for the blurb i knew that the font had to be legible but had to look good at a smaller size whilst remaining in keeping with the rest of my design. since i wanted to really emphasise the detective genre i plan on using a typewriter font which i think will elucidate the time period and the genre, i did like one of the typewritten ones found on dafont ( second up from the bottom) but im swaying more to the standard OCR A STD font because it looks good at a smaller size.

i had two designs that i really liked - this was my least favourite out of the two but i thought i would show it anyway just incase my peers liked certain aspects that i could incorporate in my other design. it was decided by general concensus that this design was too complicated and didnt initially attract the eye although they did like the positioning of the authors name in the bullets tragectory.

this was my second design and the one that i felt was more effective- again a film noir colour scheme ( i wanted to keep the colours relatively simple in order to make the design bolder). this got much better feedback, my peers liked the textural silhouettes which added interest to the dark fill chess pieces they also preferred its simplicity which was more eyecatching and made the design seem bolder. it was suggested that i needed to move the gun of the spine since i wasnt clear why it was seperated from the rest of the figure which i agreed with and that the spine should simply be the title and authors name rather than the extra details incorporated at the edges. with a little tweaking this is going to be my final design ( i plan on creating the book cover in illustrator since its got a very hand drawn feel to it which i can generate through the use of a graphics tablet, and a lot of solid shapes that will be easier to create in illustrator rather than photoshop.

 

Charle Huston Book covers

these are modern book covers which i felt really embodied the film noir genre ( it was interesting to investigate modern interpretations of film noir) i really like the broken sections of the 'dead' which conincides with the background black silhouettes which contrasts against the red  figures which help to break up the mass of black. i also really like how the figures have shadows which make the floor more interesting. there is also a sense of a gradient at the edges of the block of white which draws the eye inwards diagonally to the top of the frame ( to the clock). in this cover the positioning of the text introduces a directionality, its size filling most of the bottom the vibrant red framed by the solid black.

 

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC044wHS9HqLSIfvrpy5_2mtvVTULghNrMOtSCPrbrqtEMVACaOFbgL0-IqdVKnuuxNRUZhLLfYGa76wScGHYEiMY43JPIVqikQfd6x7xeoekslPlq0T-8_3dnLdiRtPcLQL_z7OT3c48/s1600/My+Dead+Body+UK.jpg

 

  this is one of my favourite covers- i really like the style - its a little jagged like Matisses work but its more realistic and reminds me a lot of the casino royale bond cover researched in the very beginning of the project. for something thats in actuality pretty grim the yellow and red colour scheme introduce a fun cartoony quality. although the figure is supposed to be laying down ( the outline of a body on the floor which is conveyed by the furniture on the edge of the cover) it does almost look like the silhouette is standing upright. perspective is inroduced as the head looks to be smalled than the legs which diagonally draws the eye downwards to the text which has been placed on the body. the bright yellow colour ensures that the silhouette is the focal point which in turn places focus on the text.

http://tucsoncitizen.com/morgue/files/2009/02/l110419-1.jpg

 

 

this cover again manipulates a film noir colour scheme which is something that i plan to use. again the text has been placed at the bottom of the design which makes directs the eye to the figure and then up to the author name. the red font contrasts against the monochrome backdrop and i think that theres a sinister quality which hasnt been evident in the two covers above. and there is more of an order generated through the straight lines which break up the white skyline. the bloody style of the font instantly conveys  a horror/thriller genre and there is a sense of balance indicated by the two sets of text- the obvious larger red title has been mirrored by the smaller authors name. the smaller size of the name conicides with the overall perspetive of the bridge ( and the vanishing point which is dominated by the red character).

http://www.lovevampires.com/images/halfbrooklyn.jpg

 

 

silhouette poster - paul colin

i really like the red colour of these silhouettes and the angularity of the characters, there is a clear sense of contrast created through the red on blue. whilst a gradiented black forces the eye from the text upwards. playfulness is generated  by the tilt of the text and the white outline. and i particularily like the repeat of the white shape above the camera. the main font itself is a little boring to me- it suits its purpose and its very legible but i find it a bit dull in comparasion to the almost comical figures in the piece.

http://tentangdesaingrafis.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/gaya-dalam-desian-art-deco.html

 

Rene Margritte art deco posters

i wanted to research some of the art that would have been around when the big sleep was written so i began looking into the deco period ( which ran from the 20s till the 40s). i thought that this might help to clarify my design style. the simple lines in the Magritte piece above generate an elegance which can be related to the femme fatale characters of the big sleep. its a very simple design which i guess is congruent with the period and incredibly feminie which is evidenced by the pink background, white flowers and female figure.

the poster above is my favourite out of all of the Magritte's researched, the elongated pose of the woman suggests elegance whilst the background shapes interlock and curve  introducing a directionality. its a lot buisier than the poster above which makes it more playful and fun. the cartoony style could easily be translated into silhouette. shape is incredibly important as it generates a background frame and i like how the colour of the text changes with each backdrop colour which ensures clarity but it also matches how the shapes in the background change.

again this is a really simple design the elogation of the characters a recurring theme which initiates a sense of elegance, this poster is a little more subdued probably because the background is very calm, the solid cream softens the image whilst the yellow curves match the yellows evident on the characters. the deco style font is something to consider when designing since it would have been around during the big sleep but it depends on the style of my own design- i want to make mine modern and bold.

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/05/14/rene-magritte-sheet-music-covers/

im not actually sure is this is a Magritte poster ( it had no clear artist label) but nevertheless i really like th segmentation of colour in this piece through the blue and yellow and then via the white and black ( i really love how the arm is emphasised by this colour change). there is a delicacy to this piece which makes me think its a lino print the white lines is particular help to fill the blue section and direct the eye downwards. the pose of the woman and the diagonal position of the shoulders draw the eye up to the title. the font made exceptionally playful by the tilts and fat stokes. the solid fill of the character is reminicient of silhouettes which i plan on manipulating in my own design.

http://www.kunsthal.nl/data/pictures/e_334.jpg

Matisse cut out silhouettes

http://www.livingneighborhoods.org/pics/fifteen/matissebluenude.jpg

After looking at silhouettes on book covers i decided to look at matisse's cutout collages which contain the simplified shapes i'd like to manipulate in my own design.There is a certain amount of playfulness to his artwork which is elucidated by the random proportions used to generate the figures.
The piece above is very elongated which directs the eye upwards and i really like how outline has been generated by the segmentation of the shapes which elucidates the importance of the white. the curve of the leg is exceptionally disproportionate to the rest of the portrait but it directs the eye round this curve is somewhat mirrored by the arm giving the piece a sense of balance.

http://easybynature.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/icarus-matisse.jpg

'Icarus'- this piece is one of my favourites mostly because i love the primary colours used, the rich blue of the background really contrasts with the golden spiky shapes (possibly supposed to be feathers). again all of the figures appendages are disproportionate which integrates a playful element. i like the roughness to the silhouette which i think it makes the shape more interesting. i plan on using paper to create some of my designs in order to generate a similar effect.  

http://www.thecityreview.com/s02simp1q.gif

the red shape on the chest instantly reminds me of blood splatter which incorporates a real sense of movement and drama. i really like the left hand image, the curve of the back almost contains the figure within a circular shape which is broken by the line of the outer leg. this figure retains a lot of its proportionality in comparison to the right hand one. the separation of letters makes it harder to read the text but the cutout hand drawn style of font correlates with the rest of the piece. i much prefer the blue background in the piece above to this mint green which isn't a bold enough shade to match the boldness of the silhouettes.

Femme Fatale Rene Gruau

i knew that i wanted to focus my idea on the femme fatale aspect evident within the novel and i really liked the two female characters that fell strongly within this genre: Vivian and Carmen. because of this i plan to focus on a scene within the book which defines these dangerous, seductive and enticing qualities. before i can begin drawing however i wanted to look up some other representations of what could be considered a femme fatal. Rene Gruau's elegant painted ladies fall directly into this category.

In the painting above it is the portrayal of elegance which most interests me, there is a lot of emphasis placed on line which directs the eye down the frame to the rough edges of the skirt as it fades aways. its strangely fragile which is particularly reminiscent of Carmen's fragile mental state (which is in actuality the cause of all the trouble within the novel). the use of the bold black outline elucidates the soft curves of the figure and makes the character look more dramatic. in my own design i want to incorporate this elegance but i want to also make sure that the gritty genre of the 1930s detective novel is also portrayed which may be achieved through the use of silhouettes or a similar thick outline.


http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG8079901/Rene-Gruau-a-new-look-at-the-influential-Dior-illustrator.html

This painting reminds me a lot of Vivian's character and the scene when she is playing roulette: 

"she wore a low cut dress of dull green velvet [...] the crowd closed and hid all but her head [...] i looked at Vivian's face it was taunt, pale, beautiful and wild. her lips were red and harsh".

i think that out of all of the female characters Vivian is by far the most elegant ( possibly because she has the ruthlessness associated with the Sternwoods). i love the lines apparent in the painting above, the smooth curve of the dress  once again draws the eye downwards, the manipulation of the red and black colour scheme generates contrast. red as a colour has connotations of seduction and blood which of course directly embodies the themes within the Big Sleep. the softer smoother textures in the painting simultaneously adds depth and helps to soften the rigid lines of the doorway, an aspect that i shall definitely take into consideration when creating my own design.

http://archdezart.com/2011/12/10/fashion-illustrations-rene-gruau/

This is the Rene Gruau piece that i think most embodies the femme fatal aspect, the red lipstick, the earring, the cigarette and even the shape of the hat as it cuts across the face are all qualities that embody the femme fatal character:

"her black hair was glossy under the robin hood hat"
"she puffed silently with her cigarette and considered me with steady black eyes"
"she was wearing a pair of long jade earrings and nothing else"
"her lips were red and harsh"

i love the how a silhouette has been manipulated to create the face, the white on black instigates drama, the incorporation of the red lips references the film noir genre, whilst the smoke tendril and the matching earring introduce a sense of balance within the print. its very simple but this simplicity retains the elegance of the previous pieces already researched.

http://www.renegruau.com/wp-content/gallery/kiss/cigarette.gif

this is one of my favourites mostly because i really liked the movement of the hair and the rough textural edges, the tendrils remind me a lot of Carmens wild "tawny" hair which is one of her defining characteristics  repeated throughout the book". the peach terracotta colour of the background introduces a warmth which would not have been created if Gruau had used his normal white black red combination.
the flower was another aspect of this piece that drew my attention, in terms of the big sleep i could use a similar face and replace the random flower with an orchid ( another consistent theme). there is a softness to this simple portrait an aspect that i should play around with when designing.



http://www.wornthrough.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Diorling-René-Gruau-1963-Private-Collection-©-SARL-René-Gruau

The use of silhouettes in book covers

after researching some other book covers i noticed that silhouettes were used a lot within the covers that i found effective, since i knew that the cliche detective novels also manipulated silhoettes i wanted to explore this aspect to see if i could generate some effective designs incorporating them.

the font is what attracted me to the cover above, the various angles, colours  and letter sizes make it incredibly playful which contrasts against the  sorrowful pose of the female figure. the shape of the neck looks elegant and is elucidated by the black fill background. the central positioning of the figure and the bright colours used focuses the eye on the title although directionality is introduced via the curve of the shoulder and head. intergrating the text into the design ensures the focal point and adds a point of interest into the silhoette which otherwise would have been blank.

http://lexacatsbookcovers.blogspot.co.uk/2009/12/words-in-silhouette.html

i dont know why but there is something incredibly sinister about this cover ( i think that its just the white eye which looks mishapen within the face- i think its supposed be another face). the continuation of text draws the eye inwards and down the full length of the title, the swirly typography used coincides with the swirls in the hair and make the design look old fashioned which is futher stipulated by the boxed in name at the bottom of frame.

http://www.sewtara.com/wp-content/uploads/littlebee.jpg

cover redesigned by Laura Sharp

this cover is by far my favourite out of all of the silhouette book covers researched, i think its because the stark white background frames the tree which instigates the drama. the red heart at the centre of the tree emphasises the gothic element and matches the red of the title. the spread of the tree across the back cover intergrates a fluidity which stops the segmentation between the back and front cover which allows the whole cover to be seen as one big design. i really want to try and drag my design across the back cover as well in order to create a similar fluidity.
http://laurahsharp.com/?portfolio=edgar-allan-poe-book-cover-redesign













much like the edgar allen poe book above the back and front designs are joined together by the continuous silhouette, however unlike the Poe cover there is still as sense of segmentation because there is a symmetrical aspect. the tree branches direct the eye diagonally across the top of the cover highlighting the title, the font even matches the swirls of the tree. i really like the tree hole in the centre of the spine which makes the spine more interesting without breaking away from the design- having read the book the tree hole is in fact relevent to the story. when designing my cover i really want to make sure i reference the book without being cliche and i definatly want to use some of the subtler themes to achieve this.



http://inkymole.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/if-i-could-illustrate-any-book-cover.html

















This cover is really clever the one section of red instantly provokes focus directing the eye horizontally across the cover. the delicate hints of detail give the two silhoettes a sense of depth whilst the positioning of the figures segment the cover in two, this balance is continued via the birds; i particularily like the reversal of the silhoette apparent on the dress the small points of black which help to create some more interesting shapes. the font choice is elegant and has a 'magical' theme which is obviously congruent with the story. if this book were on a shelf i would definatly pick it up, the use of the silhouettes suggest mysteriousness and it is the level of intricacy which i think makes it incredibly effective as a book cover.
http://littleshelf.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/stacking-shelves_23.html


















this cover has a very victorian steam punk feel to it and it is the busyness of the intricate silhoettes which initially attracted me to this cover. despite the level of intricacy the main silhouette shape is contained by the thick red border which helps to balance the sheer amount of design. there is a sense of symmetry which continues this balance and ensures that the title becomes the main focal point. the red intergrates a warmth but i think that the cover would have worked just as well on black. the swirls contrast against the straight columns which seem to frame the two female figures- this would possibly suggest that containment or imprisonment is a theme within the novel.
the level of detail is more congruent with the victorian era so when designing my cover i shall try to relate to the 1930s/1940s to ensure that my own design relates to the period that the book was written in.
http://katsbookmarked.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/book-review-somnambulist.html

Modern Book covers

since my book cover would have to appeal to a contemporary audience i decided to research some modern bestselling mystery novels to see how effective and eye catching there covers are i got all but the last book cover from the amazon best sellers list.

this design is incredibly simple, the predominatly black background is dramatic and the lack of motif forces the eye to the text which dominates the cover. although i dont think the font is interesting i do like the  larger spaces between the letters which  somehow seems to enunciate the drama ( again in keeping with the mystery/thriller genre). the colour scheme is once again reminiscient of  film noir something i will definatly take into consideration when designing. the white on the left hand side of the cover intergrates a sense of movement nad divides the frame vertically in two which directs the eye across the cover and along the text.

 

the colours in this cover are really effective the red instantly focuses the eye drawing the eye outwards from the text along the wavy line of cloth. the cloth provokes a  real sense of movement  intergrating a directionality which is aided by the darkened corners. the blurryness of the male figure  ( works much like a silhoette concealing the features enough to initiate mystery which is congruent with the genre). i think this design is a little too serious to take aspects from for my design but it has confirmed that i would like to introduce an element of playfulness into my own design.

out of all of the modern best sellers this is my least favourite cover- i think its because the title and author name take up too much of the frame. the black on white is boring and although the angle of the panther directs the eye to the title the whote cover looks too empty to be effectivly eyecatching and i definatly think that colour could have made it look more intresting.
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Books-Mystery-Thriller-Suspense/zgbs/books/18

i love this cover its probably my favourite so far out of all of the covers researched, it has a very retro feel about it i particularily like the purple tone used which focuses the eye. the text on the back is really unusual and i think that its a very ingenius way of presenting the title. the curved font of this text matches the vibrant tone and has a 60s style.because of the bright tones used the bare background offsets the figure and helps to elucidate the line of the shoulder. i think that this cover contains some clever intergrations ( the text curving round the figure and even the penguin logo in the 007) which i want to try and include in my own  cover.

http://dev.typophile.com/node/53664

after looking at some modern covers i want to look into covers that use silhoettes since i think that using silhoettes is going to fully reference the film noir/ 1940s mystery genre without me having to compromise on the moderninity.

 

 

Other Raymond Chandler book covers

after looking at book covers solely for the big sleep i also began researching other chandler book covers (since the same character of phillip marlowe is featured in each of them i figured that their covers would also convey the detective genre that is explored in the big sleep).

i love the font in the cover above its got a very playful element to it, the rough outline almost matches the ruggedness of the main character. simultaneously this cutout look is also stipulated by the jagged edges of the camera silhoette which ensures the overall continuity. the red black and white colour palette is very reminiscient of film noir genre which gives the design a classic feel. again its simplicity is what makes the cover so eyecatching which is something i will consider when designing my own.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rwKR5UQQsOw/Tkeixwd1m9I/AAAAAAAAAa8/F53ko9WEbDM/s1600/KillerintheRain.jpg

this cover has a very hand drawn feel to it which is depicted through the shading and although i think the background is a little fussy i really like the macabre knife and yellow rose emblem which instantly draws focus and obviously symbolizes something within the story. i havent read this story but i know that it features the same detective in the big sleep so i know that it is a mystery novel, suprisingly this isnt conveyed through the cover art which gives the cover an origionality. although i think that this makes the design unusual, in my own design would prefer to reference the detective genre.although the font is very compact the background is too vibrant and overpowering to ensure clarity which is something else that i will consider in my own work.
http://www.raggedclaws.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/tom-adams_the-little-sister_ny-ballantine-1971_023978095.jpg

the blue of this cover is what initially attracted me to this design the mottled texture provokes contrast against the smooth  lines of the figure. the woman to my mind looks odd ( possibly because the face isnt complete) and the rest of the cover looks too bare in comparasion so i dont think that the cover is effective. i do like the positioning of the text the soft swirls obviously relating to the 'water-lake' aspect. the back also looks too formulaic so i plan to ensure that the back cover to my own design is just as eye catching as the front.

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/private-eye?before=1305397710