Awa Press Young Designer of
the Year Award
Shortlist 2011
 | Pieta Brenton studied sculpture at Elam School of Fine Arts and graphic design at Unitec in Auckland. She started her career at the boutique studio Inhouse Design, where she worked for three years. She then worked in what she describes as ‘book heaven’ as the head designer at Random House New Zealand. Brenton is currently ‘in her dream job’ as a freelance book designer. www.pietabrenton.com |
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Judges’ comments Pieta Brenton has a stunning body of work, representing a range of approaches that are all appropriate to their corresponding subject matter. Her standout work is the design of Fiona Kidman’s Where Your Left Hand Rests: A Collection of Poems. This exquisite object reflects a perfect harmony between image, type, spaciousness and scale.
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 | Sarah Healey has worked as a graphic designer for about 10 years. Up until this year, she was a freelancer, designing for a range of book publishers and not-for-profit sector clients. In February 2011, she joined Penguin Books (NZ) as an in-house designer. Healey ‘loves the scope and variety of book design, my favourite briefs have allowed me freedom to illustrate, photograph, draw or paint, and develop concepts that visually reflect the author’s ideas’. www.shdesign.webs.com |
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Judges’ comments Sarah Healey won us over with her versatility and quirkiness. Her work moves seamlessly from the fun children’s imagery and wacky fonts of Robert the Rat and Treetop Treasure to the classic simplicity of the cover for Owen Marshall’s Sleepwalking in Antarctica and Other Poems. A talented designer, typographer and illustrator, Healey has a terrific instinct for what’s appropriate for each book and its target market.
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 | Spencer Levine set up his own design studio in Wellington in 2008. He works for a range of clients, from arts organisations to the corporate sector. He loves working with clients, editors and authors, enjoying the process of collaboration and sharing ideas to produce unique, polished work that reflects the efforts of all involved. Levine describes designing books as ‘a responsibility that I take very seriously and cherish deeply’. www.spencerlevine.co.nz |
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Judges’ comments Spencer Levine’s design for New Zealand Fashion Design is exemplary. The section dividers and openers are arresting and the endpapers magnificent. His design for Brian Brake: Lens on the World successfully showcases the fine photography.
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