This is my outcome for the Penguin book cover design competition brief. I decided to choose 'The Big Sleep' as I’m always watching crime dramas and felt I could understand more about the genre if I explored one of the classic novels. Money forms the foundation of the book; this is why the American Dollar Bill inspires the colour scheme. 

The weather is massively important to the novel so this inspired the styling. The novel starts with it raining and finishes with more tranquil weather; this is why the design has a dark front and a lighter design on the back. Lastly the typeface is of hands, this is in reference to the 'hands on' approach that detectives take in 1939.

I feel this design is effective as most crime novels feature the authors name and the book title as the key elements with a related image on the cover. This book cover is a bit more cryptic and I’d like to think as people enjoyed the book they would understand the cover even more.