Two Bard Graduate Center publications are among the “50 Books | 50 Covers” of 2016—the best examples of book and cover design—announced by AIGA, the professional association for design, and Design Observer on July 13, 2017.
Artek and the Aaltos: Creating a Modern World, designed by Irma Boom and edited by Nina Stritzler-Levine and Timo Riekko, and Charles Percier: Architecture and Design in an Age of Revolutions, designed by Barbara Glauber, of the firm Heavy Meta, and edited by Jean-Philippe Garric, were among the books cited. Juror Jessica Helfland noted of Artek and the Aaltos that it is “printed on lightweight, semi-transparent vellum… lies flat, reads easily, and holds colors in a magical way—a magnificent volume from cover to cover” She said of Percier, that “this is the way to design a book that feels like an immersive, almost theatrical experience. Impeccable choices—from sequencing to color selection.”
Nearly 700 book designers and publishers from more than 23 countries entered this year’s competition. A complete list of winners is available on the association’s website. The books will become part of the AIGA collection at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Columbia University’s Butler Library and at the Robert Haas Arts Library at Yale University.