Home » Feature » Art and Culture
Style and substance covered at design exhibit
Print Edition
“BEAUTY of Books in China,” an event selecting and showcasing the best book designs in the country, has been a highlight of the Shanghai Book Fair since it was founded in 2003. Some winners have also won book design awards overseas.
This year, an exhibition of winning works from “The Best Dutch Book Designs,” the oldest competition of its kind in Europe, was also held at the fair, attracting many visitors interested in well-designed books that reflect and compliment the contents.
“When thinking about this event I realized, all of a sudden, how important book design is in our daily life,” said Anna Desiree Adema, Dutch consul general to Shanghai, at the opening of the exhibition.
“When I decide whether or not to buy a book, when not knowing about the content of a book, the first impression from the cover plays a role,” said Adema. “When reflecting on what a story looks like, the impression from the book design — the cover, the format, the style — plays a role, not to mention in this respect the importance of a book cover for children and their imagination related to the content of the story.
“So book design is an art of incorporating all these elements and the content together into a coherent whole.”
To evaluate whether a book has been well designed, judges assess the unity between the content and the form, whether the design improves the function of the book, and whether it feels comfortable in the hands, among many other standards.
Fifty award-winning books were on display, and two acclaimed designers, Thomas Castro and Titus Knegtel, held discussions with Chinese designers and publishers on book design and its development.
Making a statement
Knegtel brought his work “Other Evidence: Blindfold,” a book about the victims from the Srebrenica massacre that took place in July 1995. This book has already won him various top international design prizes.
“In July 1995, a genocidal massacre took place in the area around Srebrenica. In the years following, and to this day, most media attention in the Netherlands has been focused on the soldiers of Dutchbat who failed to protect the ‘Safe Area.’ The stories of thousands of Bosnian victims are mostly ignored or forgotten,” said Knegtel, who explained that the book was intended to remember all the victims.
“I try to take on the role of the forensic anthropologist — presenting the findings without forcing a certain emotion on the readers.”
Stories from the massacre are told through substantial evidence that he recovered, including pictures, statistics, and data tables. The graphic designer focuses on raising awareness and challenging common perceptions on contemporary and historical social issues. In achieving this goal, he’s been keen to collaborate with professionals from various fields.
Castro is a co-founder of LUST studio, a multidisciplinary graphic design practice. He has worked in a broad spectrum of media, from traditional print work to new media and interactive installations. He has been teaching at the ArtEZ Academy of Arts and is now head of the graphic design department.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
