Horns incorporates elements from many genres of fiction, but is probably best described as speculative or supernatural fiction with elements of horror, thriller, crime and fantasy. It follows the literal transformation of its protagonist, Ig Perrish, into a supernatural devil-like creature while he strives to uncover the truth about his girlfriend's murder. In this story, however, Hill is adamant in his portrayal of the "devil" as an "anti-hero" rather than a villain.
The devil invokes a lot of different imagery and the novel offers many themes to draw upon. The challenge was in being selective; choosing one key idea and being sure to be clear and strong in communicating it. I chose to focus on the idea of transformation, as it is integral to the main conceit of the story as well as being thematically relevant. This also allowed me to explore the theme of reputation, which I found to be essential to the protagonist's transformational arc.
To depict these themes, I wanted to start with something fundamentally "good" or "innocent," then deface it. To this end, I chose to use a boyish subject from a vintage pulp magazine. The use of pulp art also works to reflect some of the more playful aspects of Hill's writing. Though Hill's style is not definitionally "pulpy," it has a kind of cheek and entertainment quality that I wanted to reflect in the imagery. Lastly, having the image look like it's going up in flames is at once a direct reference to the devil and an allusion to the final climax of the novel.
Bold imagery calls for a bold font. I chose Din Condensed for its balance of strength and simplicity, which compliments the main image without competing against it.
Red was an obvious choice for its close associations with Hell and the devil himself, and, sometimes, the obvious choice is the right choice. Use of the colour red, here, really gets the point across. It is also well known as a colour that grabs attention and incites strong emotional responses from people, which is an added bonus.