Case Studies:

Stephen King Collector’s Edition or First Edition boxes

Client: Steven King

Quantity: 200 units

Tomas Krynski is an aftermarket specialist known among fans of author Stephen King. When Krynski contacted Karl Grummich with Centennial, his request was for custom slipcases for collectible editions of King’s books. Because of the competition among the several companies selling Stephen King book slipcases, Krynski wanted a product that stood out from the crowd. His request: something different, something to attract a premium market.

Centennial developed two types of boxes, one a clamshell box and one a slipcase with a surrounding hard case; the hard-case enclosed box, which utilized a magnetic enclosure, was made for Krinsky for King’s The Stand. It is important to collectors that their collectible book is protected from deterioration and yet can be displayed and enjoyed.

The decision was made to create a window through the front cover of the box to allow the book’s artwork to show through. This element was the result of understanding the book’s theme and how it related to the cover art. The theme of The Stand was the battle of good versus evil, and during deliberation regarding how to best foil stamp the images of good versus evil seen on the book’s cover, Grummich suggested the simplistic idea of cutting out the window and allow the book cover art to become an element in the box. The ellipse was the final shape, as it best cropped the cover’s main image.