New Zealand’s Best Designers Vie for Top Spot

27 June 2005

New Zealand’s Best Designers Vie for Top Spot

Children’s books are going head-to-head with fine art and photography at the upcoming Spectrum Print Book Design Awards. The awards are the optimum chance for designers to be recognised and rewarded for their achievements in all aspects of book design.

Dorothy Vinicombe, the Convenor of Judges, said “we were faced with comparing delightful children’s picture books with high quality art and photography books … New Zealand is a nation full of talented graphic designers, and we look forward to seeing them turn their attention to book design.”

The judges are Dorothy Vinicombe, book promotions manager for the Whitcoulls Group; Philip Mathews, arts and books editor and assistant editor for the New Zealand Listener; and Sean McGarry, Creative Director and a partner at Base Two Design Agency in Wellington.

This year, 146 titles were presented by 36 publishers – a substantial increase in the number of publishers submitting works. The judges were “pleased to see that the standard of entries from small publishers has considerably improved”, and felt that this “is proof of a vibrant publishing community”.

The New Zealand Listener has come on board as a sponsor this year, joining Spectrum Print, the major sponsor of the awards for the past six years.

Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on 24 July at The Boatshed in Wellington, in conjunction with the Booksellers Conference.

All designers, authors and judges are available for interview. High-resolution images of all shortlist books are available by email.

Finalists in the Spectrum Print Book Design Awards 2005 are:

Best Book

Welcome to the South Seas by Gregory O’Brien designer Sarah Maxey (cover); Katrina Duncan (interior); Greg O’Brien (endpapers) publisher Auckland University Press

Shane Cotton by Lara Strongman designer Neil Pardington publisher City Gallery Wellington and Victoria University Press

Icons Nga Taonga by The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa designer Neil Pardington publisher Te Papa Press

Cover

Shane Cotton by Lara Strongman designer Neil Pardington publisher City Gallery Wellington and Victoria University Press

Connections: Stories of Taranaki by Sarah Brown designer Cato Partners publisher Puke Ariki and District Libraries

Welcome to the South Seas by Gregory O’Brien designer Sarah Maxey publisher Auckland University Press

Typography

Icons Nga Taonga by The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa designer Neil Pardington publisher Te Papa Press

Welcome to the South Seas by Gregory O’Brien designer Sarah Maxey publisher Auckland University Press

Clubs by Kate de Goldi and Jacqui Colley designer: Jacqui Colley publisher Trapeze Publishing Ltd

Use of Illustration

Dave Gunson’s New Zealand Wildlife by Dave Gunson designer Nick Turzynski publisher Penguin Books (NZ) Ltd

The Night Kite by Peter Bland illustrations Carl Bland designer Margaret Cochran publisher Mallinson Rendel Publishers Ltd

Shane Cotton by Lara Strongman designer Neil Pardington publisher City Gallery Wellington and Victoria University Press

ENDS

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