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Exhibition honors beauty, subtleties of book design
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READERS can get a glimpse of beautifully-designed books from around the world at a special exhibition at the ongoing Shanghai Book Fair.
The exhibition includes over 42 books that have won The Beauty of Books in China award organized by the Shanghai Press and Publication Administration, as well as over 100 foreign recipients of the Best Book Design from all over the World prize awarded by Stiftung Buchkunst, a foundation based in Leipzig, Germany.
According to Lu Jingren, a jury member for both contests, a good design should help convey the author’s message via its cover art, its layout, its typography and its printing craft.
This idea was echoed by Karma Durojetsereing — also known as Wuyao — a Tibetan book designer who received The Beauty of Books in China awards in 2009, 2013 and 2014. “Book design is not only about the cover, but also the whole reading experience — the way you open a book, the sound of turning pages,” he said.
According to Wuyao and others though, the role of design is still undervalued within the industry.
“Publishers won’t give you extra money for extra design work,” he said, adding that good designs are often labors of love. Each of his own award-winning books, for instance, took roughly a year to finish. When design is not a priority, Wuyao could be expected to complete as many as five books per month for his publishing-house employer.
Such circumstances are not unique to China. “There are very few pure book designers. Most of them are also doing product packages or company logos,” said Katharina Hesse, executive director of Stiftung.
Hesse told Shanghai Daily that publishers don’t want to pay more for design and many readers don’t realize the importance of it.
Lu believes that attention from design events and awards are changing perceptions among readers and promoting awareness of good book design.
“A good design can help me free connected to a book,” said Lin Yixi, a young visitor to the exhibition. Nevertheless, Lin conceded that “My friends and relatives might say it’s superficial though to dwell on a book’s appearance, as content is most important.”
As for the impact of e-books on designers, Wuyao said that printed volumes are still popular among those who want to collect their favorite books. And these aficionados are also more concerned with how an edition looks and feels.
“E-books can deliver the content of a book, but many of its subtleties can only be found on the printed page,” said Hesse.
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