The Netherlands wins the highest international design award for the second time in a row. The Golden Letter goes to Forget Me Not / Vergissmeinnicht by artist Stéphanie Baechler. The book was designed by Rudy Guedj, published by Building Fictions and printed by printer robstolk®, all three located in Amsterdam.
The Netherlands also wins two (out of five) Honorable Appreciations.
This is announced today by the organisation of ‘Best Book Design from all over the World’. An Honourable Appreciation goes to New Surface Research by artist Henri Jacobs (design Yuri Sato, Roger Willems; publisher Roma Publishers; printer Wilco Art Books) and to DESET! by Laura Snijder (design Jules Janssen, self-published, printer Stencilwerck).
An international jury of experts reviewed 550 books submitted by 32 countries and awarded the highest prize to Forget Me Not. The book contains artist Stéphanie Baechler’s research into peculiar monumental 19th-century wooden towers in Eastern Switzerland that were used to dry dyed textiles. And she gives it an artistic twist. The jury says: “…presenting them [the towers] not merely as relics but as vibrant subjects reimagined through artistic intervention. […] At its essence, Forget Me Not stands out for its contemporary presentation of historical subjects, masterful use of typography and a narrative that seamlessly combines academic research with personal storytelling.”
It is rare for a country to receive this award twice in a row. Last year, the Netherlands won with Walking as Research Practice by Jana Sophie Liebe.
The international awards ceremony will take place on Friday 28 March during the Leipzig Book Fair, where all winners will be exhibited (as well as all entries). Later this year, the exhibition will also be on display during the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Photo: Gerlinde de Geus