In Cold Blood - Book Cover Design Research Penguin Random House

John Curtis - Temporary art director - 1957-9

Working with illustrators such as David Gentleman, Curtis was instrumental in commissioning covers by much younger designers than normally used such as Derek Birdsall and Alan Fletcher, Colin Forbes and Bob Gill who would later form Pentagram.

Curtis' art direction art direction was much more influential on the pelican side of the company. The imprint and logo were reduced to a strip at the foot of the cover and the remainder could be designed afresh for each title. The illustrative element of these covers shows a fascination with the printing process, over-printing, reversing-out, and even the power of the white cover board itself. For the first time on a penguin book, the typography was allowed to be expressive and suggestive rather than simply readable and beautiful.

Looking at covers which used collaging as the imagery, looking at cutting and pasting to form a new image from a number of different ones. The imagery placed in the foreground is always more clear and usually the main focus within the cover, this is a technique which can be used in multiple contexts and one that should be experimented with within the design of In Cold Blood.

Further looking into book design, especially design focusing on crime novels and classic novels (Ones which were published in the 1960's around the time which 'In Cold Blood' is set) Looking at colours used to set tone of the book and how, when used correctly, the imagery will give the feel for the contents of the book.  The type can be expressive as well as being subtle letting the image be the main focus of the cover, yet the type needs to be correct to correctly put across the correct message and to suit the images used. Above the covers designed are all textured and aged but are still appreciated in modern times, the texture on the imagery make it look aged yet also timeless, if printed on nice fresh stock the images would be brought out more.  

B.S Johnson, 'Albert Angelo', London, 1964, Jacket designed by Philip Thompson. This cover, produced by manipulation of Victorian wooden poster type, is similar to the kind of exercise undertaken by art-school students in the 1950's and '60's when it formed part of the first year training in 'Basic Design'. The jacket mirrors the eccentric typography of Johnsons novels, which includes blank pages, holes in pages and black pages, a sample of which can be read beneath the title lettering.

Ngaio Marsh, Dead Water, New York,1963. Jacket design by Chermayeff and Geismar. A strong example of work by Chermayeff and Geismar, which, in its translation of words into images, approaches conceptual art. The sense of the heaviness of an object floating in water could hardly be better conveyed, and the design also has an abstract simplicity and coherence in which the lines of type correspond to the two layers of the image.

J.P Donleavy, 'Meet My Maker The Mad Molecule' New York 1964 Chermayeff and Geismar. 

 Chermayeff and Geismar have made a number of designs which plays with the meanings of inherent in the way that the text is presented through typography, often the best means of subliminal communication. The red 'O' seems to pick out the singularity of the 'Molecule' in the title. It is also a reminder of the firms most widespread logo, for Mobil Oil.

Nicholas Monserrat, 'Leave Cancelled' New York 1945. Jacket designed by Paul Rand.

Rand was skilled at giving tactile immediacy to the printed surface as in the real life punch holes of this cover for Alfred Knopf, one of Rands most trusting clients. The design interprets the story of lovers seperated by war in terms of a cupid shot down while on active service. 

P.D.James 'Unnatural Causes' London 1967. Jacket designer unknown 

A career civil servant P.D.James launched her writing career in 1962 with 'Cover Her Force'. Needing to continue a daytime job until retirement, she would write for two hours every morning before going to work. The cover of this title is a map collage, highlighting Dunwich on the Suffolk coast in England and ha a section of text as a "Come on", Which is not unlike the use of text in the famous Gollancz yellow jackets.

Dick Francis 'Proof' London 1985. Art direction and design by Gary Day-Ellison, photographed by Colin Thomas. 

The theme of horse racing runs through the novels of Dick Francis, although, as with all good detective fiction, this is only a device around which to build character and plot. As Judith Rascoe wrote on Francis "You don't have to know anything about racing to be his devoted reader" although by the end you certainly will.

Penguin History and Book Cover Design

Looking upon Penguins early work, starting with their vertical grid, which was first used in 1951, this style allowed the integration of illustrations onto penguin covers. This design ensured continuity and consistency with the earlier Penguin standard designs through its three divisions and the use of colour. the central area was most commonly used for simple line illustrations but could also contain an extract from a book review or some 'Blurb'. The first title to use the vertical grid itself did not appear until 1952 - on Synge's 'Collected Poems'. With just some exceptions, such as Edward Youngs 'One of our submarines', fiction books adopted this design, but the crime series- apart from the Games Designs - continued almost exclusively with the horizontal grid until 1962.

The vertical grid layout was designed for the inclusion of illustrations, at first simple ones yet as time went on the illustrations grew larger and were allowed to invade the flanking orange borders. This was seen as the first steps towards creative and greater graphic freedom, this style was first seen on Richard Bissell's 'The Pajama Game'.

Commercial pressures on Penguins designers meant that cinema and television were taken advantage of whenever possible, this meant the use of photography. Integrating these photographs into the confines of the vertical grid was not always satisfactory (Breakfast at Tiffanys).

With the influence of Romek Marber, the designer behind Penguins most used and most famous grid system (The Marber Grid), Penguins covers became more creative and expressionate throughout the 1960's. With the cultural change of the time, the colours used on the covers got bolder and the illustrations more in depth than in covers previous. With the information such as author and the title of the book at the top of the cover, the designer had freedom to fill the rest of the page with colour, imagery and anything they chose to.

Keeping the same style as the Marber grid by keeping all typographic information at the top of the page yet being more expressive with the type. In the 1960s strict observance of the grid was no longer necessary, but because the covers were commissioned with care and were of a high standard with a consistent typographic feel, the series look was maintained. This policy would be continued through the next decade under the art direction of David Pelham.

The different styles of illustrating a cover varied through the sixties with hand drawings, prints, photographs and combinations of multiple medias, for example, Jack Trevors 'Live Now, Pay Later' used collage of photography and prints and also extended up into the top section of its grid, a freedom not normally exercised on covers with the Marber Grid. The technique of using prints and images together creates a bold layered style, the photography looks bolder and clearer in comparison to its printed background, this is a strong style. 

The penguin crime series during the Marber period of the 60's and 70's employed a green stock to print onto, the top of the book remaining consistently grided and also green while the designer had freedom to change the styles on the empty space.

OUGD503 - YCN + D&AD Brief Research

Craft Apprenticeship

- Help unlock the next generation of brewers with your ideas for new beers, new campaigns (advertising and social) and big ideas to unlock the potential of young people interested in getting into brewing.
- BIG IDEAS for an advertising and social campaign for Craft Academy to discover NEW TALENT and UNLOCK POTENTIAL for young people in the brewing industry.

- Creating a multi-platform design to show potential in young brewers and to show off the craft beer industry.

MUBI

- "On average, people spend 4.9 days a year searching for something to watch.That means infinity scrolling until you eventually “settle,” and the ever-present danger you’ll get 20 minutes in and realise you’ve settled for a dud.
People are starting to work out that ‘more’ doesn’t always mean ‘better’.We want you to use this frustration and your creative powers and create a campaign to get film lovers to put their faith in MUBI and its curators. It’s up to you to usher them home. "

About - MUBI is a curated online cinema bringing you cult, classic, independent, and award-winning movies. Available in over 200 countries around the globe and on multiple devices, a subscription to MUBI is a passport to the world of cinema. Every day our film experts introduce you to a great film, and you have a whole month to watch it. That's 365 extraordinary films a year curated by MUBI.

Featured Films

- The Godfather
- Pulp Fiction
- Taxi Driver
- A Clockwork Orange
- Citizen Kane 
- Apocolypse Now
- Pyscho 
- Spirited Away
- The Big Lebowski
- Seven Samurai 

Current Films 

- Triple Agent 
- Labyrinth 
- Cinema Paradiso
- Easy Rider 
- The Naked Gun
- Big Night


Classic Films and modern art pieces are the main focus of the site, it offers a new set of films each month all of which are revered as classics or cinema masterpieces. Mubi distance themselves from other streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, by offering quality, not quantity, something they believe that rival streaming services offer. 

Final Video and Brief Evaluation.

Final Video showing the application Google Bookmark, showing how it would work as a toolbar application whilst browsing the web and also showing how the interface of the application works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_j_O6Ckul4

Design For Screen - Evaluation

Throughout this project exploring digital interface design, I have learnt a number of things which I have never touched on before. Firstly using Adobe AfterEffects proved difficult, having to familiarise myself with a new software which the work would be produced on was a challenge though one I feel I have rose to by completing an engaging exciting animation of the interface which I have made. Again starting the project with a problem I had to find a solution to proved helpful in that I have produced a good flowing piece project which has an aim, research, development and a final piece, all of which are done to a high standard. Through looking at web based design I have learnt about how interfaces are developed with the process of wireframing hand rendered layouts to envision how something would layout on a screen. I have developed a strong understanding of key terms and methods of developing for a screen based project.

I feel the project differed from Design for Print in that all considerations which needed to be made were made on screen and not as a physical product. The depth that this brief goes into about the development of digital design is really strong, I feel I have come away with a strong understanding on this process. The project has also introduced me to after effects which is a software I had not used before but is efficient when producing something for screen.

I feel that I have met the learning potential and further, learning somethings which I had never touched on before (after Effects - user interface design), exploring this from the very beginning of the brief helped me to progress and learn throughout the project, this helped me to realise the problems and solutions I explored through the research and development of the project. I feel my final resolutions are to a high level.

I feel the feedback throughout the project has helped to produce a considered interface which is efficient, visually pleasing and user friendly, especially the feedback and guidance from Only, a Leeds based design company which works a lot with online branding, there input helped me to realise some details of user interface which I would have neglected. Overall I feel I have produced a strong submission, with a strong final product, I have learnt an entirely new software which I have then applied to develop my interface.

Design for Print - Evaluation

During design for print I was introduced to new methods of production which would lead to the manufacture of the final outcome, in this case a publication. I explored methods of binding which I had seen before yet not attempted to produce myself. The brief required research into aspects of book design I had not previously looked at, this opened me up to new styles and methods of book production, this researched influenced how my own book was produced and the look and feel of it too. Through realising a problem to solve is a good way to look at a brief, I have become more efficient in seeing what is relevant and what is not to a project and that the best solution to a problem is to think outside the box, I have been introduced to new research techniques which help to produce a wider range of relevant research which has directly influenced the outcome for this brief.

Design for print is very relevant to the module "Design Production" as it focusses on the production aspects and has made me more aware of the details which go into produce a book which will be marketed and sold. The project has introduced me to new means of production for a publication and has also shown how each aspect of design has to be relevant and work.

I feel I have explored a range of concepts and problems, and then found a resolution to my chosen concept.  I have explored relevant topics of research both primary and secondary, looking at the concept and also considering the production, of which each aspect of the book has been influenced by an section of my research. Using the assessment criteria I have progressed through the project with looking for a problem, researching potential solutions and then developing and producing a final outcome which is a solution to the problem.

I received little feedback for this module and that which I did receive came to little help as the brief was ending when I received it. I did get feedback regarding my cover which did help. The end of project feedback I received was very divided in that some people loved the physical aspect of the collaged cover and others thought it would be best to scan it in and produce it through that way.

Overall I have reached the learning outcome of this brief though I feel it is far from my strongest submission though the work produced is to a strong level and it is a clear solution to the problem identified at the beginning of the brief. The book itself is well produced and unique, it identifies a gap in the market and fills it. I feel the product is successful in the way it meets its target audience and would attract the people it is made for. I believe the book explores the concept of Music Culture in leeds and shows good examples of the wide range of acts and performers that are shaping the image of leeds.

Development issues and After Effects.

Having to use after effects to develop an animated video showing how the web application will work, it proved difficult to navigate around and employ some of the effects which are available on the software. With so many layers to the design that need animating it became apparent that my time scale did not allow enough time for some effects and features to be included, though they are touched upon in different aspects, for example a drop down feature will appear once throughout the animation though in the wireframe stage of development it is clearly marked that a number of features on the page have working drop down screen, this is something for the developers reference.

Some parts of the interface were taken out last minute to allow for a better effect, for example the cover reel did have a small caption box under neath it with arrows to navigate left and right. It became clear that this could be simplified and taken out to allow more space for the images to move on the page, instead of arrows the navigation of these images would be control by either a laptop touch pad or a scroll wheel on a mouse, the information will show on page when the image is hovered over. The space where the definition box was before is now smaller as the images are enlarged, this space allows room between the reel and the listed details beneath.

With the idea of having thumbnail images enlarge on the interface to reveal a larger image or even snapshot of the web paged saved it became clear that the use of videos to show the effect even better. This would work by having a cursor hover over a thumbnail, a screen would enlarge from this while the rest of the imagery fades to 50% opacity (so it is still partially visible but the enlarged screen is the main focus) the enlarged screen contains a screen recording of the websites main page with it being scrolled down on the screen. This would allow users to view page content on the Google Bookmark interface, letting them view information while remaining on the same page.

Development of Google Bookmark

Start off screen - Google Chrome Logo, small cursor comes from off the page and clicks down on the logo. Effect - clicking motion with Chrome logo going smaller then back to normal as if being clicked. When logo is clicked down the music begins, slight half a second of silence at the beginning to make the clicking of the logo the start of the video and music.

Screen recording starts on Google homepage, search creative review, look through for couple of seconds, click onto 'Bowie by Duffy at Proud Chelsea' article. 

On the David Bowie article click the Google Bookmark icon in the toolbar and a larger bookmark icon appears in the top right corner to symbolise the user has used the toolbar button to bookmark this article. The larger Bookmark icon remains on page. (Enters on from the right). 

Having looked at Creative review and found the bowie article the user/Advert moves on to search for a Bowie song (Lets Dance, David Bowie, will already be playing over the advert) with the person searching through google the main youtube video for this search will be at the top of the interface, the cursor will drag this video upto the Bookmark icon where a dropbox will come down with a plus mark on it to symbolise that it has been saved to the bookmarks app.

Following the screen record, three screens will follow each other, the first saying 'Introducing' (in Roboto san serif font and Google red), the second will say 'A new way to google' using the Google title, the third will feature the bookmark icon which will use the same clicking effect as in the opening scene. This will lead onto the first google bookmarks page with the cover reel on, with images going left then right through a number of different images and sites. 

Google use simple sentences and slogans to make there brand seem friendlier, taking this idea into consideration, it was useful to go back to the basics when coming up with things to say about the web app as it was showing what was going on, 3 simple slides to put in, the first 'A place to store' - refers to how you store a website onto bookmarks and also how a bookmark is stored into a book. Secondly 'A place to explore' the web app offers the choice to explore the bookmarked pages on its page, so the user doesn't have to leave bookmarks to view there saved content. Thirdly, one right at the end, 'A place to remember' this refers to how a traditional bookmark is kept inside a page to remind the reader where they were, it is also saying that this app, Google Bookmarks, is one to remember to. The page itself is now the thumbnail view option which then starts to scroll down looking through the content of the page.

The cursor hovers over one the thumbnails, this thumbnail expands and the other thumbnails on the page fade to 50% opacity, this will make the expanded section clearer and the main point of view for the user. The expanded section will be a screen record from the chosen website which will scroll down viewing the pages content.

Having shown the features of the application the logo will appear and the word 'Bookmark' will swipe onto the screen from the right pushing the logo over slightly and then slowly the word 'By' appears, at this point the music is fading out.

The video will end on the google title logo with the music then fading out completely as it ends.