The George Fry Gallery hosted an exhibition to show the work of the 2022 winners of the Alcuin Society Award for Excellence in Book Design in Canada, marking its 40th anniversary.
“These books… These Canadian designers are going to be promoted on a world stage,” said Karen Ruet, George Fry Gallery coordinator.
The New Brunswick College of Craft and Design’s George Fry Gallery hosted an opening reception on Oct. 26, where it was possible to appreciate the work of 35 winners across nine categories. The winning books on display will be submitted as Canada’s official entries to Best Book Design from All Over the World, the international book design competition in Leipzig, Germany.
“We are happy to support Canadian designers. Students at the college are undertaking a book design project right now and for them, this could be the future.”
Ruet said they got special permission from the Alcuin Society for students to be able to see “more than the title or cover of the book.” Students photographed layouts and typefaces to use them later as a reference and for inspirations in their own book designs.
She said in the exhibition it was possible to see a large variety of books from comics to children’s books and reference books.
“When you walk into the exhibition, every book has a particular personality and flavor, and the illustrations and the cover art on the book are absolutely colorful and exciting. I think you can absolutely judge a book by its cover,” she said.
Ruet shared judge comments of Almost Beauty by the designer Julie Scriver that accompany the poetry collection.
“The spacing of the type and its placement on the page welcomes the reader into a design that is well-suited to the poems and encourages the reader to read, linger and think,” said Ruet, reading comments from an anonymous judge.
Julie Scriver, Creative Director of Goose Lane Editions, has two books placed in the competition this year: Almost Beauty, in the Poetry category and 305 Lost Buildings of Canada, in Prose Illustrated.
“It’s delightful,” Scriver said. “It’s truly an honor to have the work brought forward in that context.”
Scriver said the nature of a book is different for each title because every author has a different style and a book independently of being a poetry collection, guidebook or art book — each of them have their own “unique qualities.”
“My job as a designer is to build a bridge between the author, creator of the book, and the reader.”
She describes the cover design as a “gift wrapping,” because through the cover it is possible to invite readers to engage with the book.
Scriver said it’s all about finding “that magic key” that will seduce the reader in a bookstore or online, making the reader choose a certain book for a reading experience. She added we are visually saturated in our lives, which is why “the cover has the job to really strike sparking interest in the viewer.”
“It was a really nice opportunity to share some of those preoccupations that fill my days,” Scriver said opening the exhibition gave her the opportunity to share some thoughts about the process of book designing and the experiences that come with it.
Scriver said our cultural aesthetics evolve over time. That’s why it is important for students to be aware in which ways these influences are changing.
“If I am in a bookstore and I respond to a design when I see something that catches my attention. It’s always good to ask myself what is it about this project that engages me and entices me to look more closely?”
