THE KUMBAK II
SPECIAL EDITION BOOK

SHORTLISTED IN EDITORIAL DESIGN FOR THE 2021 DESIGNWEEK AWARDS.

I had the delight of leading on the design and project management of this special edition gift for The Roald Dahl Story Company. In a limited run of 380 copies, the gift contains a book and gift card in a slipcase, with finishes such as copper foiling, contrasting paper stocks and blind embossing to build the narrative.

The Kumbak II is a short story written by a young Roald Dahl while he was still in school, which had not been published prior to this gift. Written in fountain pen, the story is said to have inspired The Sound Machine, Roald’s first story to be published in The New Yorker, an idea that resurfaces again in The BFG. 

‘we all listened with bated breath’

varied blind embossing

The Kumbak II details the invention of a time-travelling sound machine that enables the listener to uncover great secrets, such as the sound of a gunshot that solves a murder case. This moment inspires the front cover.

The opening of the gift is designed so that as the book pulls away from the slipcase, the sound waves continue to travel across. The depth of the emboss on each bar varies depending on the volume as to evoke a sense of immersion. In negative space, a bullet slices through as if travelling through time towards the courtroom. The shape of the sound wave itself is inspired by the vocal pitch from a line in the song, Pure Imagination, from the feature film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. This lyric speaks to the theme of invention and adds an underlying connection to the worlds that Roald Dahl created.

THE MATERIALS

The internal pages were edited and typeset to meet the minimal spacing and wide margins of the format. Paper stock was specifically selected for each section of the book. An ivory stock is used for the introduction by Donald Sturrock, Roald Dahl’s biographer, with the title copper foiled. The handwritten papers of the original story, in fountain pen, are on off-white to reflect a sketchbook, while the typed manuscript pages are on a bright white as if fresh from a typewriter. The book cover, slipcase and gift card are on a deep blue paper stock to reflect outer space and otherworldly dimensions visited by the time machine, with text highlighted in a copper foiling.

COLLABORATORS & CREATORS

ROALD DAHL STORY COMPANY. Brief.
ROALD DAHL MUSEUM & STORY CENTRE. Archive materials.
DONALD STURROCK. Author & Biographer.
KINGSBURY PRESS. Production.
WE ARE STUDIO. Photography.

STEPHANIE GRIGGS. Creative Director.
LOUISE NEWMAN. Proofreader.