In the first paragraph of the brief it states, “The story is well known both in celluloid and print so it is essential to come at it from a fresh angle. Try to design a new cover for a new generation of readers, avoiding the obvious clichés. Originality is key.” A cover that was both relatable and recognisable to people familiar with the story that still exhibits a modern flair that will intrigue and appeal to a new generation of readers is what I interpreted as the best answer to those statements. To do this I thought outside the box and brainstormed what messages I wanted to convey. I wanted to avoid obvious clichés such as a smoking gun or a dead body however, I didn’t want to stray to far into abstract territory as that is difficult to execute and most of the successful avenues have already been explored in previous covers. I came up with having Marlowe on the cover yet have him completely in shadow, masking his identity. This would re-enforce his figure against the background and make him look iconic and strong, standing tall in the trilby and overcoat. Having him stand in a undisclosed part of Los Angeles with a vague cityscape in the background and nothing but a streetlamp, a cigarette and his gun to keep him company is also quite striking.
The main theme I was looking to convey was mystery as in this genre that is probably the most prominent undertone. Film noir was quite a heavy influence in my design process. I liked all the aspects that tie into the genre, smokey rooms, slick characters, powerful imagery and sharp contrast. They all work together to create a very intense, murky environment which were two aspects I wanted to capture. I didn’t want it too be quite so straight forward however, I wanted a sense of juxtaposition with everything. To accomplish this I wanted to draw everything in Illustrator in quite soft and cartoony fashion. This art style completely contradicts the harsh, sharp, gritty style film noir is conventionally displayed in. This sense of juxtaposition subtly adds a sense of unease to the whole thing as this cartoony art style is displaying a dark, mysterious image. The typography on the cover was the thing I wanted to really stand out. I wanted it to be really meaningful and striking. To do this I chose a period accurate font face that, whilst being fairly stylised still retained legibility. I wanted the word “BIG” to be the largest thing on the cover as that would really grab the eye of anyone who looked at the cover. I also wanted to strengthen the uneasy, juxtaposition already present in the art style by drawing the word “Sleep” in an almost playful manor, dancing around the other words yet also in an almost photo-real smoke brush. The word in the title refers to death and the way it is presented is both playful yet sinister. Cigarettes are known to kill people and their smoke is very thin and menacing I find. This I think is the most successful part of the cover as it turned exactly how I imagined and hoped it would. The only other piece of text on the cover I wanted to try to disguise or soften in some way too as it would be to bright and distracting otherwise so I made it look as though it was drawn out on the pavement like a clue or an outline round a recently discovered body. Again a subtle, subliminal hint towards mysterious and sinister undertones wrapped in a soft and plain art style. The layout of the cover is also fairly sparse whilst still adhering to standard principles. Marlowe and the lamppost as on the left half with the typography to the right. The two are connected by a single strand of smoke trailing from Marlowe to the word “Sleep”. This is a very subtle way of connecting the disguised figure to the title, showing new readers he’s an important character and also connecting him to death; something the people familiar with Marlowe will appreciate.
I think that the overriding juxtaposition that everything exhibits really works well to create a sinister, mysterious, smokey atmosphere to the cover. This fits the theme of the book and the themes of film noir very well. The art style, colour scheme and typographic elements are aesthetically pleasing without having to understand the meanings behind them also which will attract a new audience, especially when coupled with the mysterious intrigue the main character exhibits. It will also be a refreshing change to people more familiar with the story. For this reason I think that the cover I have created fits the brief well and is a modern and unique interpretation of a classic story that ties together the stories murky, gritty roots with a more modern colour scheme, art style and typographic style. This echoes back to the quote at the start; “The story is well known”, “Try to design a new cover for a new generation of readers, avoiding the obvious clichés”. I think that I have created an answer to that quite successfully. The cover is aesthetically pleasing with some interesting effects, creating some quite striking imagery tied in with some mysterious elements. This will attract new readers to the book as they will be initially drawn to it by the art style then intrigued by the shadowy figure and want to read the book to discover the identity of the hidden man. There are also a myriad of subtle undertones and massages within the various elements to attract and appeal to people already familiar with the book.
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