Penguin Random House hold a book cover design competition every year for students, and their 2017 chosen text for the Adult Non-Fiction Award was Truman Capote's In Cold Blood.
The brief specified that it should be designed for a new generation of readers, communicate the themes of the book's narrative, and avoid clichés.
One of the key subjects on which the book comments is America and its justicial system. I chose to magnify that in a way that displays an almost sarcastic level of patriotism, and which references the perversion of American ideals by the story's criminals.
The colours and composition of the design as a whole are arranged to mimic the American flag, and the stark contrast combined with bold, sharp fonts intentionally take it over the top.
The blindfolded woman not only evokes images of Lady Justice, but also references the sudden way in which the gruesome murder of the quintessential American family blindsided the public.
For more details about the working process, read my blog post.
