Stephen King “IT”
In 2022, Stephen King — one of the world´s most famous writers — celebrated his 75th birthday. To honor the master of horror, Heyne from Penguin Random House reissued the book as a magnificent volume in a limited special edition for the German market. We took over the concept and design and repackaged it for a special piece of literary history with illustrator Max Löffler.
IT is a pop culture phenomenon: Everyone knows Pennywise, the most iconic clown antagonist.
When the Head of Production at Penguin Random House (Mariam En Nazer) approached us, her directive was clear: the design must be extraordinary as a limited special edition (10k) and an homage to King’s 75th birthday.
The design concept combines the slipcase and cover into one piece, making the story immediately tangible. The cover reinterprets the famous scene where Pennywise lures his victim through the manhole cover. The bloodthirsty clown comes out of his “hiding place” from the slipcase, a red linen book block. There is no cover title — its entirety is dedicated to the Pennywise illustration.
Penguin Random House
2022
Publishing
Creative Direction
Art Direction
Editorial Design
Communication Arts
Best of Show
iF Design Award
Winner
European Design Award
Gold
ADC
Award
ADCE
Silver
Dominik Langegger
(Creative & Art Direction, Editorial Design)
Sergej Ritter-Höntzsch
(Creative Direction)
Matthias Tildach
(Photography Portfolio)
Max Löffler
(Illustration)
Mariam En Nazer
(Production Manager)
The first issue of IT appeared in the mid-1980s. With his illustrations, Max Löffler brings nostalgic flair to the concept and excites the fan community. The strong grain in combination with the graphic design language translates typical stylistic features of the 80s to the here and now.
The cover and back tell a story: On the front, Pennywise is luring his victim through the manhole cover. On the back of the slipcase, you read the text embossed with black hot foil on black paper, which he calls to his victims through the sewers: “We´re flying down here. We´re all flying. You´ll fly too.” Meanwhile, a balloon glides past them. This appears when you pull the book out of the slipcase.
