OUGD503 - Penguin - further Research

I looked at the judges of the penguin competition to see if this could influence what type of design would work best for this brief. I feel the two most important judges to impress will be Jim Stoddart, a designer for penguin who has expansive knowledge of book cover design and John Hamilton, the art director for Penguin specialising in illustration.

Jim Stoddart


John Hamilton


To get the best understanding I could of In Cold Blood without reading the book, I watched the 1967 movie of the same name. This helped me better understand the different ideas I could put into practice within my front cover. The main points I noted down included:

-The killers thought the Clutter family were rich after dick was told the family had $10,000 in a safe by his cell mate whilst in prison although this was found to be incorrect.

-After killing the family and taking $40 and a few other items, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith escaped to Mexico.

-At first the police found no evidence at the crime scene however they were finally caught as Hickock's former cell mate notified the police, their shoe prints matched those found at the house and their alibi also had missing elements

-Hickcock and Smith were eventually hanged to death after the jury found them guilty of murder.


I also looked at some of the crime scene photos from the Clutter family home as the brief states responses should be shocking. I also thought there may be images that inspire my ideas.

The Clutter murders were particularly shocking as the killers murdered two children. One of their bedrooms can be seen above where a children's toy was left on the seat.

One vital piece of evidence within this case was the foot prints left in one of the victims blood. The unique marks made by the shoe would work well as an ambiguous response to the brief.

The weapons used in the murders included a knife and a shotgun.

The car Hickcock and Smith used to drive across the country to the Clutter home and then after the murders, to Mexico.

The picturesque family home in Kansas is still standing today and is another recognisable piece of imagery related to the murders that could work within my final design.