“2024 Golden Butterfly Award-Taiwan Publishing Design Award” 13 shortlisted books released with free, diverse and focused designs – TiBE Taipei International Book Fair

The 13 shortlists for the 2024 Golden Butterfly Award-Taiwan Publishing Design Award are released Free, diverse and focused design

“2024 Golden Butterfly Award-Taiwan Publishing Design Award” announced the 13 shortlisted books! The jury pointed out that this year’s shortlisted works have direct and strong designs that arouse readers’ interest like a quick punch. They discuss diverse topics and care about cities, land, art, and folk beliefs, all of which show Taiwan’s freedom, warmth and The power of tolerance!

Entering the 20th “Golden Butterfly Award” Taiwan Publishing Design Award, organized by the Taipei Book Fair Foundation and co-organized by the National Taiwan Normal University Library, it is the most important award in the country to praise book design. Eligibility for the competition is mainly books published for the first time from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023, or original Taiwanese publications that have been revised and redesigned. There are a total of 170 works registered this year, and 13 shortlisted works will be selected. One gold medal, one silver medal, one bronze medal each, and 10 honorable mentions will be awarded. The three winners of the much-anticipated gold, silver and bronze awards will also be announced in December 2023.

This year’s jury is composed of leaders in the domestic design industry, including godfather-level designer AKIBO Li Mingdao, Dean of the School of Creative Design and Art of Tunghai University Xu Hejie, designer Li Zhenghan who won the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Record Packaging Design, and Design Fang Xuzhong, the creative director of the studio “Zu Fang She”, and Li Junci, the founder of LADYBUG, all have rich cross-border design experience, providing an international perspective and perspective on this year’s book design trends.

Free and diverse issues

Looking at this year’s entries, the jury all believed that the overall design and content have recovered from the epidemic era. “Freedom” is also displayed in the publications, focusing on issues ranging from care for the land, detailed observation of life, to the challenges of growth. The feelings brought about are all closely linked to the design, providing more interpretations for the book, especially the unrestricted ideas expressed within a limited cost, which deeply impressed the judges.

The jury pointed out that this year’s shortlisted work “The Story of Food” does not have too fancy vocabulary. It follows the changes of the seasons and expresses daily life through food observation, which is pure and elegant. The delicate illustrations express the tranquility and contentment of life, and the excellent balance with the text, showing the meticulous observation in life, making reading not only reading, but also a kind of spiritual healing.

Buckle and interpretive design

“There is a consensus among the entries this time. What the book has to say, has it been well designed to say it?” Judge Li Junci said that not only the emphasis is on coolness, but also whether the design itself fits the interpretation of the book. She was deeply impressed by this year’s shortlisted work “Viewfinder”. From the overall concept to the design, it has been transformed into the only book that users of any language can read wherever they take it and create their own content. It is very suitable for this second-generation generation. The details of the book and the binding method are also exquisite enough. , the design and the concept of the death of the author even surprised the judges.

The design of another shortlisted work “Qingrun Ningxiang: Ruo Shen Ou” was just right, and it was not easy for the judge Xu Hejie to praise it. Art papers of different textures are used in the appendices and title pages, which increases the tactile change when reading. The waist design of the book includes stitching details inspired by the formal thread binding of ancient books. The overall design shows the delicate beauty of traditional craftsmanship, which can be seen everywhere. Different elements echo each other with the theme of the book.

Design to quickly generate links

Judge Li Zhenghan also observed a phenomenon: there are many intuitive ideas this year. He pointed out that when designers convey concepts, they sometimes need to quickly arouse people’s interest, create a connection, and then have a desire to read, so visual intensity is very important. For example, “You still need furniture to live without being sad”, the picture intuitively presents a sense of chaos, and people can’t help but pick up the book and want to know what it is talking about. Judge Li Mingdao believes that the free brushstrokes and strong emotional illustrations are the first impression that the design of this poetry collection brings to readers. Reading through the poetry collection, the words and images match each other, giving people a rich and sad rhythm, as if they are out of order and Looking for a set of dignity for survival in helplessness.

There are also works that show the creativity of a knowing smile, such as “Adults Only Know Part of the World: Written for Young You”The title of the book makes people think whether it is about the childishness lost after growing up. After turning the page, magical three-dimensional shapes appear, full of childlike images and colorful effects. The overall design of the cover reflects the strong contrast between the cold reality of growing up and the dazzling youth. This book uses the creative effects of structural design and typesetting to present the core content, attracting readers’ attention and increasing curiosity about the book.

Judge Xu Hejie said that this year, it is obvious that there are more topics about Taiwan’s local characteristics and caring for the heart. But overall, the content is very diverse, increasingly focused and precise, showing a trend of issue-led design.

Who will win the gold, silver and bronze medals will be known in December

The 20th Golden Butterfly Award has selected 13 winning works. All works will go to Leipzig, Germany to compete to be the “most beautiful book in the world” and will be displayed in the “Book Fair Grand Prize Hall” of the 2024 Taipei International Book Fair. As for the 13 award-winning books, who will win the gold, silver and bronze awards? We will wait for the official announcement in December 2023.