Penguin Random House New Zealand
Award for Best Illustrated Book 2021

Finalist

Designer: Aaron Beehre
Title: Lockdown: Tales from Aotearoa
Publisher: Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū
Format: 275 x 195mm, 108pp. Case bound cover printed with fluorescent pink, cyan, yellow and black inks.

Typography: Principle typeface: Champion Bantamweight
Secondary typeface: Classic Comic

Judges’ comments An impressive, poignant and ultimately optimistic gathering of a diverse range of graphic stories responding to the March–April 2020 lockdown in Aotearoa. The striking cover, not to mention the pages throughout, has admirably bold typographic and colour treatments where a more hesitant designer might have typically shied away, given the variety and vibrancy already on display with the graphic artwork. The approach ties it all together rather than distracts from the stories, however, which are able to shine in each of their assigned spaces. It’s been a pleasure to see this book standing out in bookshops around Aotearoa, just as it stood out on the category table during judging.