There's part of me that is a stickler for consistency and then there's another part that enjoys the intelligent subversion of the rules. That's partly why the Marber Grid era Penguin Crime covers appeal so much. The grid dictates the layout but every now and again you find a cover, like Killer's wedge that tries to break out of the mould, all be it subtly. The line below the author's name has been removed and although the montage below forms part of the image area, the space to the left spills out. On 'Til death, the confetti spills into the title area.
OK, perhaps they're subtle but I imagine when Alan Spain first presented the ideas eyebrows were raised in the Penguin office all those years ago. And I also imagine them saying, "why not?".
Back to my inner stickler; it soon becomes evident that not only did a single designer often become responsible for the covers of a particular author, but the designs often feature consistent elements. In the case of Spain's McBain covers there's the black and white photography, the precinct sign and an element in red - sometime minimal like the red pupil on The mugger, sometimes more prominent like the confetti.
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