HarperCollins Publishers Award for Best Cover 2023
Finalist
Designers: Te Kani Price, Huia Publishers with print support from Christine Ling, Huia Publishers
Title: Kōhine
Publisher: Huia Publishers
Format: 210 x 138mm, 232pp, paperback, section-sewn. The artwork was printed directly onto a 300gsm metallic card stock to add a reflective and neon-esque finish that highlights the inner city setting —flashes of light and bustling nightlife—and the liminality of the stories.
Typography: Masthead font: Modified treatment to Brandon Grotesque – Black set at 500pt tracking. Author font: Avenir Next LT Pro – Ultra Light set at 440pt tracking. The type package is modified by being repeated 5 times on top of each other with varying degrees of motion blurring and varying colours to achieve an in motion, neon glare effect to the text and elevate it from the page and distinguish it from the artwork.
“The brief was to deliver a considered and conversation starting cover to showcase the sensitive and provocative content of the book, which blends Japanese and Māori culture in a series of snapshots of extreme grief, hedonism, self-discovery and the grimy hazy netherworld of 80s/90s Tokyo. Reminiscent of how HBO or FX or A24 might tackle a TV Series or movie, the cover had to carry a hefty amount of grit and grubbiness with touches of the unanticipated to create engagement. Locations like sweaty bars with salarymen are treasure troves of colour, so the designer had to find ways for the cover to build on other sensory connections for the reader. The author’s photography was incorporated into the cover”
Judges’ comments The visual chaos and image overload of Tokyo overlays the grainy portrait of a young woman in a highly evocative and intriguing image. The cover typography has its own resonating energy—blurs and smudges like a neon sign on a wet city night—but it does not compete with the image. The colours are carefully controlled hues of blue, black, red and magenta printed on a silver metallic stock. The overall effect is transfixing and beautiful.
