Allen & Unwin
Award for Best Commercial Book for Adults 2023
Finalist
Designer: Cat Taylor, Penguin Random House NZ
Title: Small Holiday Houses: Designer Hideaways Across New Zealand
Publisher: Penguin Random House NZ
Format: 270 x 210mm, 208pp, paperback, sewn, grain lamination, 5th colour on cover, text stock 140gsm woodfree.
Typography: Mark Pro varying weights and sizes and Calibre varying weights and sizes.
Judges’ comments Almost feeling like a high-end magazine, you know exactly where this book sits: on the coffee table at the bach. The neon spine, matching the title colour is punchy and bold – a nice surprise poking out from the bookshelf. I enjoy the pages with multiple images, filling the page to the edge with only a crispy white line in between. The variation of grey (for titles and architectural notes) and white pages is subtle, yet interesting and the white space gives lovely breaks between the bold images. Fitting in style with Foster’s other architectural titles, this book is clear and easy to follow.
Pleasingly architectural and unfussy with accessible and warm details. The system allows for different types of content to be easily differentiated, and the images to speak for themselves. The design helps the pacing so it’s a good ‘pick up and flick’ book that allows you to orientate yourself in the content easily.
An architectural book in a modest commercial format that is destined for coffee tables in batches and cribs throughout Aotearoa. The design is restrained, consistent and beautifully executed. The uncoated stock and muted colourways combine photography, architectural drawings and typography across a spacious layout grid creating a pleasing and engaging narrative.
