Penguin Random House New Zealand
Award for Best Illustrated Book 2019
Finalist
Designer: Aaron McKirdy with typesetting by Kate Barraclough
Title: Theo Schoon: A Biography
Publisher: Massey University Press
Format: 230 x 190mm, 336 pp, flexibound plus jacket. Printed on 120gsm Sun Woodfree paper.
Typography: Body font: Domaine Text light, 9.5pt; title/display for chapter headings: Founders Grotesk bold, 40pt; pull quotes; Founders Grotesk light, 15pt.
Judges’ comments: “I love the format and presentation. Clean and classic cover. The cover underneath the dust jacket offers no surprises. I love the red/cream/black and white simplicity. Very restrained which works well. The photographic reproductions are sublime.”
“Modernism meets Pasifika with great colour applied to section breaks, facing pull quotes and on the whole very assured typography. The footnotes as a chapter colour accent the work well. It does have a clean design with a rhythm to the sections which allows the story to breathe but perhaps some of the personally is neutralised.”
“The design leans towards but doesn’t fully embrace its content.”
“The pops of colour through the book as signposting for each chapter are lovely – even carried through to the notes section. The cover is a fine work of minimalism, with Theo catching your gaze, then looking away when you hit the title page. An individual choice of body font works nicely too.”
