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Home Essays Design of Crime, Evil and Death

William Drenttel|Essays

April 3, 2011

Design of Crime, Evil and Death

Buried in our Winterhouse library are numerous and eclectic books with “design” in the title — things like Death by Design, Design for Dying and Design in Evil. These obviously are not books on the subject of design, but examples where the word “design” has worked its way into popular vocabulary or vernacular speech.

I”d love to credit the graphic designers behind these titles.


Death by Design by August Derleth. Cover designer, unknown. Arcadia House, 1953


Design for Dying by Louis Trimble. Cover designer, unknown. Bartholomew House, 1946


Design in Evil by Rufus King. Cover designer, unknown. Popular Library, 1942