The Designer Cut

The Designer’s Cut is a conceptual publication based on the Seven Deadly Sins, interpreted through Stanley Kubrick’s 'The Shining'. The project explores psychological deterioration through typographic rhythm, framing strategies, and minimal colour systems.

The book reframes 'The Shining' as a visual and typographic dissection of moral collapse. Each sin functions as a chapter, structured through controlled variations in layout, pacing, and spatial tension. The work draws influence from archival research into Kubrick’s original typographic drafts and from the durational, slow-moving visual language of Bill Viola.

The entire book is set in American Typewriter, referencing Jack Torrance’s typewriter and reinforcing themes of repetition, obsession, and psychological confinement. A restricted red and black colour palette intensifies moments of emotional rupture, with red used sparingly as a visual intrusion during scenes of violence or instability. Materiality and binding are integral to the conceptual framework. Structural pacing, white space, and controlled monotony create a claustrophobic reading experience that mirrors the cyclical madness of the Overlook Hotel.

The publication investigates how typography, restraint, and structural rhythm can communicate internal collapse without relying on decorative excess allowing psychological tension to emerge through design precision.