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| Fig. 1 |
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| Fig. 2 |
These two compositions represent the 2 new art direction Penguin could take. There were countless adjustments to the positioning of each title, the hierarchy of the information, the typeface for the back cover's copy and the width of the captions.
The decision to have the cover predominantly in black and white is to help Penguin stand out from the colourful book shelves. Book covers these days use an overload of colours that are presumably used to help attract the reader through visual attraction. When most book covers adopt this design direction the end result is none that clearly stand out from the rest. Therefore a lack of colour will help achieve the opposite. Furthermore the simplicity in the black and white colour scheme will appeal to the more mature audience which the story is intended for.
The use of a bold and large type set of the book titles help maintain the readers attention once the lack of colour grabs it. The restrained visual look is carried through onto the spine and back cover design creating a consistent visual identifier for this art direction. The addition of Penguins signature orange to select captions was a late addition to the designs in effort to communicate Penguin's brand to the reader more explicitly and quickly on first glances.
The slab serif used for the back copy, was chosen as it relates to the western setting of In Cold Blood. The rounded characteristic of each letterform also brings the typeface to modernity as rounded typefaces such as FF Mark is trending.
However these two designs were eventually scrapped. The proportion and placement of the copy combined with the brashness of the bold title did not prove effective in creating a visually appealing design and one that can be used as a template. Furthermore not every book will be appropriate to the connotations that the slab serif type give.
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| Fig. 3 |
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| Fig. 4 |
Therefore they went under another redesign, this time the typefaces were strict in adhering to the gird system. This produced a more visually proportional look for the covers. In Fig 3. the bold book title has been changed to just an outline to instead shift the attention to Truman Capote and to create a less heavy impact on the cover. The use of orange has been reduced to just the 'In Cold Blood' on the spine which makes the colour use more special and allows for the reader to identify the book's publisher when arranged on a shelf. The alignment of the author, title and caption text have been shifted to create a more central visual hierarchy when the readers eye goes down the cover. Also, the baselines of each word has been aligned to a grid line which produces a more even composition.
Fig. 4 is a slightly more radical approach to the redesign. This direction was based around the structure of the Marber grid which famously created the iconic compositions of previous Penguin books. As such Fig. 4 can be seen as a modern update on the grid. In this cover design, 'In Cold Blood' has been changed to a lighter weight which adds contrast and allows for Truman Capote to be the focal point of the design. Also, the width of the column is thinner compared to Fig. 3 as it is more aligned with the central focal of the front cover which is created through the vertical zig zag line and thinner weights of Akzidenz. This makes the book look taller than it actually is as compared to the more spread out visual that the wider, thicker type font on Fig. 3.
In both compositions, the entirety of the design is produced using one singular typeface that is a reference to the old designs of Eric Gill and Romek Marber. This keeps in line with Penguins visual brand but at the same time updates it to the modern era. The restrained colour palette and typographic compositions produce a cover design that does connote characteristics of that it was designed. Hence the addition of the zig zag line that was taken from the Marber grid and forms the placement of the texts.
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