The Big Sleep previous covers

i began by researching previous big sleep covers ( not all of them are from the 1930/40s era) but i wanted to see what other people had taken from the book and how they had translated aspects from the book graphically.
 First book cover by Rhys Morgan- graphic designer
The design abover is one of my favourite big sleep covers, i like the containment of the design the framing of the droplet elucidates shape which is futher enhanced by the monochrome colour scheme. the text is very reminicient of the art deco era which emulates the period of the novel. its simiplicity is what makes it visually effective- its uncomplicated and revolves around shape.
http://designatatrium.co.uk/designer_portfolio_project.asp?ID=219&PROJECT_ID=1825

 

i think that this design as a lot of potential i like the manipulation of silhoettes which once again emphasises shape and although the detective hat gun is a little cliche it is a fun modern interpretation. however i  greatly dislike the typography used which looks too much like bubble writing to be effective  and whilsti do like the clever intergration of the gun within the sleep the text itself does nothing to reference the novel. the black and yellow colour scheme provokes contrast and initiates drama but i dont like the reddish brown used on the back which detracts from the dark block front cover. when i begin designing i plan to introduce some more subtler aspects which reference the book without falling prey to the stereotypes.

 

http://www.behance.net/gallery/The-Big-Sleep-Book-Cover/3796685

the book cover above has a very art deco retro feel about it and i love the angularity present which gives an origionality to the cliche scence of the detective. the two colours keep the design simple and understandable and i really like how jaunty angles have been manipulated on the back to continue the 'square theme'.  the bold but thinner font fully displays the title simultaneously ensuring the designs continuity. however i think it would have been better to create a design that depicted a scene from the book in this style because although the detectives portrayal is unusual and effective the overall design doesnt fully emulate the novel.

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Book-Cover-design-The-Big-Sleep/5440223

This design promotes the femme fatal aspect within the book which hasnt been present in any of the other covers researched. because its a modern representation the shapes are very clean and theres a lot of manipulation of block fill colours which once again introduces a simplicity. the wisps of smoke directs the eye to the title, the font fits perfectly ito the design and the deco feel. the red of the blood is futher stipulated on the author name and contrasts with the blue of the shirt and skin. the blue intergrates a sense of mystery and helps to seperate the foreground figure from the predominatly black background. 
http://dansippleblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/big-sleep.html

out of all of the modern reinterpretations of the book cover this is by far my favourite, the cartoon style of the cover looks dramatic and i really like the textural shading evident within the background which frames the figure. red and greys keep the design simple and and help to segment the cover into 4 sections, the long continuous strip of red offsets the name directing the eye across to the back of the book and the red eyes which reference any one of the femme fatal characters within the novel. the comic book style has given the cliche detective pose an origionality the hand drawn style  references the covers in the 40s whilst the black outline initiates moderninity.

its interesting to see what other people have taken from the big sleep and i want to make sure i avoid the obvious cliches in my own design- i definatly think its key to create a cover based around a certain scene of character to really display what the book is about.