The Shining

This project is a book jacket design for Stephen King's horror novel, “The Shining.” The story follows Jack Torrence and his family as they stay in the Overlook Hotel as its winter caretakers. Shortly after their arrival, they realize that the hotel is haunted and that danger will most likely ensue. Jack’s 5-year-old son, Danny Torrence, immediately begins to pick up on the malevolent activity with his psychic abilities and ends up using them to save his family from an awful fate.

I wanted to create a design that was both a nod to the 1970’s aesthetic of the film adaptation and also one that honored the bond shared between Danny and Richard Hallorann, the hotel’s chef. In the novel, Danny and Mr. Hallorann both possess strong psychic abilities, referred to as “the shining.” This psychic ability connects them and allows for telepathic communication. The goal of this project was to capture their special, psychic bond with my illustration and design.