Examples of excellent work in category 2 – books
This document shows winners from category 2 – Books – of the 8th and 9th ICMA. The works come from these countries, among others: USA, Finland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Luxembourg and Germany. Winners include: Aalto University, Finland; Leiden Publications, the Netherlands; The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles; The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Lost in the wood(s), Aalto University, FIN, Award of Excellence 8. ICMA
Category 2.1. Academic works, educational textbooks and schoolbooks
“Lost in the Wood (s)” of Aalto University in Finland deals with the circular economy. It is a coproduction of the two schools of Aalto University: Design and Chemical Engineering. The university writes on the book: “How can Finnish natural resources, renewable biomaterials – such as cellulose – replace oil-based resources and how can we create new business and service models for society through design and collaboration? Inspirational cases and stories from researchers working with biomaterials suggest how a more sustainable future could be achieved.“
Sick Photography, Aalto Arts Books, FIN, Award of Excellence 9. ICMA
Category 2.1. Academic works, educational textbooks and schoolbooks
The publisher writes about this book: “This artistic research questions how illness was represented in art photography and explores new ways of dealing with illness, thinking about it and creating photographic art.”
Jury statement: “The binding, choice of paper and typography are very well done. For example, for the photographs in the middle of the book a white but matt paper is used, and for the texts before and after, a natural-coloured paper that is a little translucent. The translucent text blocks are part of the design. The typography is functional, sober and very sophisticated. For example, small subheadings are printed in red. Footnotes also receive the greatest typographical care. The basic grid is single-column and has a lot of white space on the sides.”
König der Lüfte, Bohem Press, D, Motovun Group, Gold Award 9. ICMA
Category 2.2. Children‘s and young people books
Jury statement: ”Modern, appealing illustrations beyond the well-known children‘s book kitsch. A convincing story with a surprising ending.“ We also show the header paper here, because it is beautifully integrated into the book design. The same colours and techniques are also used for the illustrations.
Jury member Michael Adams writes: “König der Lüfte” is a congenial children’s book. The fairy tale describes King Ambrosius’s path from his sparkling throne to his transformation into a wren. A path full of false calculations, misconduct, errors, dead ends to a conciliatory end. The opulent, large-format pictures convey the royal, emotional roller coaster ride and enrich the readers’ imagination with many loving details.
Otto und Robotto, Bohem Press, D, Motovun Group, Award of Excellence 9. ICMA
Category 2.2. Children‘s and young people books
About the book: A warm-hearted man-machine story about helpfulness and friendship with a profile page for best friends – to enter and paste photos. The book is printed on stable cardboard and punched out. On the inside pages the illustrations often go over the double pages.
Pilze · Eine Galerie, Kosmos, D, Motovun Group, Bronze Award 9. ICMA
Category 2.3.Guides and Non-Fiction
The publisher writes about the book: “Axel Schmidt uses a special recording technique to show the mushrooms in their best light. Detached from their natural surroundings, he photographed the mushrooms in the studio against a black background. The result is a very special aesthetic, reminiscent of idealized natural illustrations. The close-ups are supplemented by important additional information such as photos of hat undersides or growth characteristics and information on occurrence and nutritional value with texts by Ulrich Hinz.” The black background gives the impression that the mushrooms were photographed in nature. The colours come into their own very well. On the left is always a mushroom from the front, on the right are detail photos, among other things from the underside. The texts are refreshingly short. The jury says: “High-quality photography is combined with a sophisticated layout and excellent choice of paper and typography with very good bookbinding”.
Voyage of Discovery, Leiden Publications, NL, Motovun Group, Award of Excellence 9. ICMA
Categrory 2.3.Guides and Non-Fiction
About the book: Leiden University opened in September 2017 the Asian Library to house its renowned and extensive Asian collections. This includes the world’s largest collection on Indonesia and some of the most important collections on South and Southeast Asia, China, Japan and Korea. Jury statement: “The book shows the diversity of the Asian collection, ranging from illustrations to maps to manuscripts and books. A special highlight are the double pages. Perfectly photographed objects are shown there. The objects are partially covered. The whole aesthetics unfolds by opening them”.
Paper Material Medium and Magic, Prestel, D, Motovun Group, Award of Excellence 9. ICMA
Categrory 2.3. Guides and Non-Fiction
As the title suggests, this book focuses on paper. It is divided into six chapters: Paper as material, Paper as medium, Paper as symbol, Paper as surface, Paper rooms, Paper and book. The chapter starts are always two pages long, which gives the book a good structure. A serif typeface with uniform stroke widths is used, which supports a calm appearance. Different types of paper are used, the book has an open spine, so that the bookbinding process is included in the design.
Artists and their Books Books and their Artists, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, USA, Motovun Group, Award of Excellence 9. ICMA
Categrory 2.4. Art books
The Getty Research Institute writes about the book: “Artists’ books take up a creative space between traditional books and contemporary artworks and show what a book can be. This visual and experimental presentation of some of the most surprising works from the research institute’s extensive collections focuses on artist’s books that can be unpacked, unfolded, unrolled, or disassembled.”
Jury statement: “The artist’s books are presented as creatively as they were made. They are opened and shown in a lateral perspective, they are placed upright or the pages overlap each other. Each book gets a double page and detailed information is left or right outside. Overall a very good presentation of the contents.”
Wael Shawky. Cabaret Crusades – Drawings, Dagmar Reiche, designreiche, D, Gold Award 8. ICMA
Category 2.4. Art books
In the book “Cabaret Crusades” drawings of the artist Wael Shawky are presented, which were exhibited in the Kunsthaus Bregenz. The accompanying text for submission to the competition states: “Shawky’s scenic work and the changing perspectives in his drawings gave rise to the implementation as a pop-up book. In a nest in the cover inside is a trilingual accompanying booklet with texts and catalog raisonné.“ Jury statement: “Conceptually and technically convincing solution.”
Ich ist ein anderer, Susanna Entress und Urs Stuber, CH, Gold Award 8. ICMA
Category 2.4. Art books
Classic Greek Masterpieces of Sculpture, Melissa Publishing House, Motovun Group, GR, Silver Award 8. ICMA
Category 2.4. Art books
Artico, 5 Continents Editions, Milano, Motovun Group, I, Gold Award 8. ICMA
Category 2.4. Art books
“Artico” shows works by the photographer Vincent Munier. The publisher writes: “From Scandinavia to the northernmost islands of Nunavut (Canada) we are invited to discover a breathtakingly beautiful, fascinating wild world: polar bears and foxes, caribou, musk-oxen, snow hares …” Jury Statement: “No frills aesthetics, graphically clear imagery, sympathetic booklet with insights into the work behind the photos.“
Berg … Knesebeck Verlag, D, Gold Award. 9. ICMA
Category 2.5. Photo books
The publisher writes about the book: “The photographer collected 18 terms with the prefix BERG…, – Mountain – such as BERGbahn, BERGbauer, BERGführer or BERGblick, whose photographic interpretation appealed to him. Thus in the productions BERGretter or BERGbauer admiration and respect is expressed in the photos, while in BERGsport there is almost an angry note.”
Jury member Eberhard Wolf about the book: “My private favorite is the book “Berg…” – “Mountain …” – by Uli Wiesmeier and Stefan König. It is a monumental book that calls you to climb the mountain. And not only because of its size and weight, but above all because of its unusual photographs and content concept. The text plays with the prefix “Berg”-Bauer” or “Berg”-Bahn etc. and then leads to the unusual photos of Uli Wiesmeier by means of a short and easy written text.
It is the pictures that create the atmosphere of this illustrated book. The colouring and the perspective of the pictures oscillate somewhere between surreal dream and reality. Without any kitsch, they create a pathos that makes you wear your mountaineering boots to experience the seemingly unreal cloud games around the mountain peaks. With almost poetic sobriety, the reader’s gaze is directed to the everyday objects of the mountain farmers or to the steel cables of the mountain railways disappearing in the fog. It is not only a book for mountain enthusiasts, but also a book for lovers of high-quality book art.
Photography at MoMA 1840 to 1920, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA, Motovun Group, Bronze Award 9. ICMA
Category 2.5. Photo books
The museum writes: “This is the last volume in the MoMA’s three-volume series of books on photography, which draws on the extraordinary depth of the museum’s collection to tell a new story of photography.”
Jury statement: “Attractive and high-quality presentation of an extensive theme. The page layout is very well thought out, because different photo formats and image quantities per double page have to be presented. The navigation through the book is typographically subtle and very functional.”
2.6. Book series
Series of books frequently have a long tradition. This is why editions going back to 2014 can be submitted in this category. The entire series of books is assessed in this category for 90 Euro. Please send three books from the series.
Die besten Rezepte der Welt, Nieschlag + Wentrup, D, Gold Award 8. ICMA
Category 2.6. Book series
“The world’s best recipes” is the title of this book series. The books are pocket books with a soft cover and dust jacket and are each 32 pages long. One particular highlight: the jackets are partly gloss-finished and the headlines or other elements are embossed. The books are all designed the same inside; the only variation is in the colors. The jury writes: “What is there not to like about these books? The covers are designed cheerfully, and the inside typography and layout are harmonious and functional.”
Vorarlberg Museum, Künstler im Gespräch, Bucher-Verlag, Kurt Dornig Grafikdesign, A, Award of Excellence 8. ICMA
Category 2.6. Book series
The books of this series are kept consciously simple, because the artworks presented are intended to be foregrounded and not, say, typographical gimmicks.
À cent á l‘heure, Maison Moderne, LUX, Gold Award 8. ICMA
Category 2.7. Corporate books
“À cent à l’heure” was issued by the Arnold-Kontz Group on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. The publisher writes: “For the company, the realization of such a book is an opportunity to take a look at the past, to tell its story during a century rich in technological innovation, social change and political events.“ Jury statement: “The book is very well structured and designed. It has an interesting theme mix, a very good image selection. Overall: exemplary graphic design.“
Von der Weisheit der Natur, Zentis, Lekkerwerken GmbH, D, Silber Award 9. ICMA
Category 2.7. Corporate books
The company Zentis is specialized in jams and sweets. That’s why fruits play a leading role in the book celebrating its 125th anniversary. On the website of the agency Lekkerwerken the book says: “The design plays with variations: Thus each chapter unfolds its own ‘fruity’ world of colour, both in the drawings coloured with watercolour and in the typographic elements. Different chapters of the commemorative publication vary between single and double column layouts and thus set accents.”
Jury statement: “Unusual illustrative implementation of a theme. The colour fulness of the book corresponds to the theme and the product promise.”
Haciendo futuro, TAU Design, ES, Bronze Award 9. ICMA
Category 2.7. Corporate books
The book was published on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the UAM – the Autonomous University of Madrid. It shows the logo on the cover, which was also designed for the occasion. The book has a hardcover and a format of 31 x 31 cm.
Jury statement: “Successful use of colour as a means of reader guidance and book design. Clear layout with very functional use of typography.”
Unter uns, Band III, KNSKB+ GmbH, D, Award of Excellence 9. ICMA
Category 2.7. Corporate books
The agency KNSKB+ writes: “The closure of the last mines in 2018 marks the end of the era of hard coal mining in Germany – and is thus an important chapter in industrial history. To mark this occasion, RAG Aktien-gesellschaft has produced the book series “Unter Uns – Die Faszination des Steinkohlenbergins in Deutschland” – “Under Us – The Fascination of Coal Mining in Germany”.
The third volume reflects the dramatic struggles for one of the greatest structural changes in German economic history.” A special highlight: Students of the Folkwang University of the Arts have photographed finds from coal political events. Together with pictures of historical moments, they form an extraordinary picture series.
Mutig, mondän, motorisiert, Elisabeth Sandmann Verlag, D, Motovun Group, Award of Excellence 9. ICMA
Category 2.9. General literature
The publisher writes: “Susanne Gretter shows in her richly illustrated book how closely the history of the automobile is linked to the biographies of astonishing women. The daring female motorists, who not only drive grandiosely, but were also able to change oil and tyres confidently, range from the world traveller Clärenore Stinnes, … the pioneer Bertha Benz to the writers Gertrude Stein and Françoise Sagan. The book is divided into five chapters. New chapters are marked with a yellow double page. The book has a single column and sometimes softened photos are underlaid.