Retro Crime

Back in 2005 the Pub­lish­er Damyan Yakov start­ed a Retro Crime book series — a com­pi­la­tion of the most famous Noir Crime books.

The pub­lish­er and I decid­ed to make a very dis­tin­guish­able over­all design that reflect­ed both the con­tent and the spir­it of each indi­vid­ual nov­el and an intend­ed Retro look of the series.

First I made a unique logo for the series:

 

Then I hired two pro­fes­sion­al pho­tog­ra­phers and arranged a pho­to ses­sion with actors/models. The pho­to ses­sion took place in the Bul­gar­i­an Nation­al The­atre due to its retro inte­ri­or. We used the­atre props and cos­tumes from the epoch (the 30s ‑50s of the XXth cen­tu­ry). Here are some of the raw pho­tos from the pho­to session:

 

Here are some of the book cov­ers that I made for the Retro Crime series.

Dashiell Ham­mett — The Thin Man

 Ray­mond Chan­dler — The Lit­tle Sister

 

  Ray­mond Chan­dler —  The Long Goodbye

 

James Hadley Chase — Hit Them Where It Hurts

James Hadley Chase - The Soft Centre

James Hadley Chase — You can say that again

 

James Hadley Chase — Twelve Chinks and a Woman

Mick­ey Spillane — My Gun Is Quick

Mick­ey Spillane — My Gun Is Quick