A NEW APPROACH TO CELEBRATING ACHIEVEMENf

In 1982 the ABPA decided to revitalise its 31-year-old Book Design Awards contest. The awards had for some years been attended by a certain amount of dissatisfaction, and uncertainty about their purpose and effectiveness. The book design awards committee felt that the contest had become rather technical - more like the end-of-year assessments at an art school than a celebration of the achievements of Australian publishing.

With the aim of finding and honouring the best-looking books de-signed in Australia in 1982, the ABPA changed the style of the contest. Categories were abolished for the main awards, which were again headed by the Joyce Nicholson Prize of $1000 for the best-designed book of the year. The ABPA Andrew Fabinyi Prize of $500 was designated as a prize for the best instructional book. As before, there was a separate award for the . best jacket or cover.

The changes did not diminish publishers' enthusiasm for the contest -236 books were entered, three more than in 1981. Entries came from 61 publishers.

The committee decided not to invite to be judges people who were professionally involved in graphic design or book production. They asked, instead, six people, distinguished in other fields, who see many books and enjoy handsome books. We wanted these judges to tell us which of the books entered held the greatest appeal for them.

The judging began with each judge separately examining all the books and nominating those they thought worthy of consideration by the other judges. Opinion among the six judges was so diverse that this process reduced the field only to 108.

The judges met and each judge examined each nominated book and awarded it a subjective percentage rating. Consensus was achieved in the second stage. The judges' marks for each book were added up and the book with the highest score was awarded the Joyce Nicholson Prize. The pattern of scoring was studied and it was decided that awards would go to the next 20 books on the list. The winner of the ABPAAndrew Fabinyi Prize emerged from this group. The winner of the prize for the best jacket or cover was selected by the same method as the Book of the Year.

The judges in the second stage were: Edmund Campion, author and reviewer; Michele Field, literary editor of the Sydney 11:1orning Herald; David Moore, photographer; Bruce Petty, cartoonist; and Maurice Saxby, educationist and reviewer. The sixth judge, Selwa Anthony, bookseller, was regrettably prevented by a family emergency from taking part in the second stage of the judging.

1

The awards are made to publishers. It is the publisher who offers the work to the public and who is the centre around which revolve all the activities associated with the making of a beautiful book

A beautiful book is ipso facto a well-designed book, but the converse is not necessarily true. A book reveals the intentions of its designers only to the extent that they are realised in production. The most expert layouts can be marred by images showing through from the other side of the page. The impact of great photographs can be diminished by poor registration or unbalanced colour printing.

Good design acknowledges that a book is more than a beautiful object or abstract patterns on pages. Good design lies in bringing words and images to the attention of the reader, and in this the designer works in varying degree with the help of or constraints imposed by other specialists. Many talents may be brought together by a publisher in the course of producing a book, and in acknowledgement of this we invited publishers to nominate any or all of the following at their discretion: art editor, layout designer, jacket designer, editor, illustrator, photographer, typesetter, photoengraver, printer and binder. Publishers' nominations are shown for the award-winning books.

Printers were not nominated for 40 of the 236 books entered. Of the remaining 196 books,89were printed in Australia( 45.4%) and 107 overseas (54.6% ). Of the overseas-printed books, 54 came from Hong Kong (50.5% ), 44 from Singapore (41.1%) five from Japan (4.7%) and one from South Korea (3.7% ).

The committee is grateful to Joyce Nicholson for her generosity in again donating her $1000 prize and to the judges for their time, enthusiasm and taste. I thankfully acknowledge the help in organising the contest of Rod Mead and Sam Ure Smith, the other members of the book design committee, and the tireless Sandra Forbes, Director of the ABPA

NELSON KENNY, CONVENOR

TilE CATALOGUE Designer: Judy Hungerford Typesetter: Smith & Miles Type & Graphic Services Typeface: Garamond Photographer: Peter Fogg Reproduction: Gibbneys Graphics 1980 Printer: Watkins & Murphy Cover stock: Mairs Beckett Felt 104 gsm Text stock: Master Matt 100 gsm supplied by Consoliclited Paper Industries

2

JOYCE NICHOLSON PRIZE FOR TilE BEST-DESIGNED BOOK OFTIIE YEAR

THE ARf OF JUSTIN O'BRIEN by Anthony Bradley

The Craftsman's Press

Art editor: Nevill Drury Ulyout designer: judy Hungerford Editors: Nevill Drury and jacqueline Kent Photographers: john Storey and john Bolton

3

Production controller: judy Hungerford Typesetter: jacobson Typesetters, New Zealand Printer and binder: Kyodo, japan

BEST JACKET FINE HOUSES OF SYDNEY

by Robert liVing, john Kinstler and Max Dupain Mead and Beckett'Methuen Australia

~E HOUSES

SYDNEY '[ lt\'//1lF

"'' John Kinf)i/er

\lax /)upain

Designer: Leonie Bremer-Ka.mp

4

ABPA ANDREW FABINYI AWARD for the best instructional book LEARNING AN ABORIGINAL lANGUAGE

by Don Williams Curriculum Development Centre

Lesson 29 llus kuon IS h'Yis10n u a pn-pan.tion for tiM: cnmirurion in the nex1 kssun .

~Revision of words for exam I . nhuma you (2 or more) IS . lundu friend 2. limurru we (inclusiv~·} 16. hmurniiJlt" our (inclusive) 3 . napurru we (exclusive) 17 . napurruugu our (a:clusivt') -4 . wal:ala they (3 or more) 18. wJb.l~gu thcir(3or morr) S. yo!IJU Aborigirul 19. yolku who(m)(asin

penon ' whom do you 6 . babndii whltC' ptnon want?1 7. mala group 20. bulu again 8. I)UUkU my 21 . bipa father 9. nhUI)U your (I penon) 22 . g.i!W• mo

ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIAN ARf by Ronald M. Berndt and Catherine H. Berndt with John E. Stanton

Methuen Australia

layout designer: Robin James Jacket designer: Robin James Editor: Sue Wagner

- -·-----_ ..... ____ ... _ ------·-~----.-..------------..... _ .. ____ .. _ ::::--=~-==--:=:= ::a::::::=:::::: ::::-=:::::-.==.:=:::: ===-....:.::-:-:-::.= ~&~.!"£::;

~11~~~ ~~~b~

Production controller: Bill Gobbe Typesetter: Savage and Co. , Australia Photoengraver, printer and binder: Dai Nippon, Hong Kong

THE ABORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS OF BALDWIN SPENCER selected and annotated by Geoffrey Walker

Currey O'Neil

layout designers: Robert Klinkhamer and Peter Yeates Jacket designer: Robert Klinkhamer

6

Editor: Maggie Taylor Production controller: Bookbuilders, Hong Kong

THE AGE GOOD FOOD GUIDE edited by Claude Forell Anne O'Donovan

Art editor: Alison Forbes layout designer: Alison Forbes Jacket designer: Alison Forbes lliustrators: Alex Stitt and Tandberg

Eating out of Town

Production controller: Anne O'Donovan 1)pesetter: Mereditl1 Trade Lino, Australia Printer and binder: Globe Press, Australia

AN ARTIST ON THE GOLDFIELDS introduced and rumotated by Marjorie Tipping

Currey O'Neil

Art editor: Helen Duffy layout designer: Robert Klinkhamer Jacket designer: Robert Klinkhamer

7

Editor: Helen Duffy Printer: Koon Wah, Singapore

lliE ARTIST AND lliE RIVER by Sandra McGrath

Bay Books

Layout designer: judy Hungerford Jacket designer: judy Hungerford Editor: jill Wayment Photographer: Simon Hohnen for the Shoalhaven series .

Production controllers: judy Hungerford, Mark Orsen and Harry Bettison Typesetter: Savage and Co., Australia Company, Japan Photoengraver, printer and binder: Toppan Printing

AUSTRAUAN NATIONAL GAllERY: AN INfRODUCTION edited by james Mollison and Laura Murray

Australian National Gallery

---,_ __ _ ~-=-

Art editor: james Mollison Layout designer: Alistair Hay jacket designer: Alistair Hay Production controller: Bruce Tory

Typesetter: Smith and Miles, Australia Photoengraver and printer: Color Offset, Australia Binder: Book Graphics, Australia

8

COOKING WITII COllEEN McCUlLOUGH AND JEAN FASTIIOPE by Colleen McCullough and Jean Easthope Mead and BeckeWHarper and Row

Art editor: Barbara Beckett Layout designer: Barbara Beckett Jacket designer: Barbara Beckett EUustr.ator: JanetKenny

Photographer: Ray Jarratt Production controUer: Barbara Beckett Typesetter: Asco Trade Typesetting, Hong Kong Printer and binder: Toppan Printing Company, Hong Kong

TilE DISCOVERY OF AUSTRAUA by T. M. Perry

Mead and BeckeWNelson

5- Hollandia Nova

Art editor: Barbara Beckett Layout designer: Leonie Bremer-Kamp jacket designer: Leonie Bremer-Kamp Photographer: Ray Jarratt

Production controUer: Barbara Beckett 1)pesetter: Meredith Trade Uno, Australia Printer and binder: South China Printing Company, Hong Kong

9

Art editor: Barbara Beckett

FINE HOUSES OF SYDNEY by Robert liVing, john Kinstler and Max Dupain

Mead and Beckett!Methuen Australia

Photographer: Max Dupain layout designer: Barbara Beckett Jacket designer: Leonie Bremer-Kamp Editor: john Carrick

Production controller: Barbara Beckett l)pesetter: jacobson Typesetters, New Zealand Printer and binder: Toppan Printing Company, Hong Kong

FLOWER PAINTINGS OF ElliS ROWAN by Margaret Hazzard and Helen Hew.;on

National Library of Australia

Art editor: Helen Hew.;on Editor: jenny Stewart layout designer: Arthur Stokes l)pesetter, photoengraver, printer and binder: Griffin Press, Australia Slipcase designer: Arthur Stokes

10

A GIRL AT GOVERNMENf HOUSE

Art editor: Helen Duffy

edited by Helen Vellacott Currey O'Neil

ll~t~~ ~¥~~~~ ~~]:=-;::.:,r;::.~

.. --· --~-3f:~.E:S:ai-=

Editor: Helen Duffy Layout designer: Robert Klinkhamer Jacket designer: Robert Klinkhamer

Production controller: Bookbuilders, Hong Kong

A HISTORY OF AUSTRt\LIAN CHILDREN'S BOOK IllUSTRATION by Marcie Muir

Oxford University Press

Layout designer: Alison Forbes Editor: Louise Sweetland Production controller: Anita Karl

l)pesetter: Meredith Trade Uno, Australia Printer: Koon Wah Printing, Singapore

11

lEARNING AN ABORIGINAL lANGUAGE by Don Williams

Curriculum Development Centre

- ----~ =-

Art editor: Barbara Beckett Layout designer: Leonie Bremer-Kamp Jacket designer: Barbara Beckett

-- I 2iQ ,. c.~ - ... - ... _.· ~- .. - - ..

..=:-~.;a:E-i~~:. ......

.::::...-- .. ::.::-.:---

... ":;:.,..'7-·--"'::..::::., ........ - .. _ ~ .. --. ...._.. ... -~---.. --Tulu

Lesson 19 Rt...Won of smrenas for tnt

liQ3 , ~---o. .. .. .,. __ ·--o. ...... ...,:

Photographer: Alan Fidock Production controller: Mead and Beckett Publishing Typesetter: Meredith Trade Uno, Australia

Illustrators: Leonie Bremer-Kamp and Tanya Salehian Printer: Hedges and Bell, Australia

IlLY ON THE DUSTBIN by Nancy Keesing Penguin Books

----.c.-....... 'lo )l....o....,_lo

RALPH Tiffi RHINO by Tony Edwards

Wellington Lane Press

jl_·-··-~~ ·---·---- ...... -· ---~---C...-Hil _....,., .. ___ . __ ,....,..... ____ ...., ____ ..... ........... --·----~ ::"..:-::r-.:.::':.:::0::-___ .. ._....., __ ,.....,_.,_

THERE'S NO PlACE UKE HOME drawing

VASSlllEFF AND HIS ARf by Felicity StJohn Moore

Oxford University Press

------·--· .. -· ... _ ... _____ ,_,._ ------·--·- --:~~;i~i ~~11¥§~ ~-t: ~·-~;-~~ ---- - ···-·----------· ~-=- ~~~;1~ ........... _.. _____ ... ___ _

·--·-...,.._,~ ...... ::=..=.=:::-.:.:-:-:=-.;:..~ ...,.._., .. _ ... ____ , __ --- ... ·---·--·-.-

1._ ~-!?.:==.:..-=

layout designer: Alison Forbes Editor: Louise Sweetland

Production controUer: Anita Karl Typesetter: Meredith Trade uno, Australia

THE WEEKLY by Denis O'Brien

Wildcat Press/Penguin Books

Designer: Kim Woods Typesetter: Photoset Computer SeiVices, Australia Printer: Hedges and Bell, Singapore

15

____ J!IDGES' COMMENTS

HOW1HE]UDGES SAW1HE CON1EST The judges who took part in both stages of the contest were asked for their impressions of the competition as a whole, and they provided the following notes:

The overall impression was of a great number of well-produced books, especially in the 'de luxe'. style of publishing. Many very handsome books indeed. Styles were wide-ranging and maintained a harmony between subject matter, purpose and presentation. A most representative array of Australian society, outlook and cultural concerns. Generally the paper chosen helped give 'character' to the books entered. Especially pleasing were paperbacks which had individuality and sense of style. Instructional books in the main were safe rather than innovative. The children's books tended to be either conservative or ran to the extreme of 'messiness'.

Enormous variety of submitted material. Many entries were let down by poor-quality paper which rendered really bad 'show-through' as well as muddy reproduction. In some instances of advanced and elegant design the total package was let down by second-rate typographical design - for instance, that in The Artist and the Riuer. The superb jacket of Fine Houses of Sydney is totally justified in winning the jacket award.

Expensive art and picture books led the judges' list this year, not because they were flashily overwhelming but because they were designed with care and attention. Quite a few books which at first glance seemed attractive lost points because examination showed them defective in details. A stunning jacket, for instance, far too often hid cheap, ugly binding. Simplicity was the keynote of design, although some jackets were spoiled by a profusion of typefaces. It was pleasant to note the sensitivity with which good designers matched colour and half-tone illustration to the demands of the copy.

At the top end of the design spectrum, 20 first-class books. What is rather significant and disturbing are the rather narrow parameters within which book designers seem to feel confined. The innovative compulsion is very low. Given the great exploratory shift in the commercial typographic and illustrative world in recent years, books reflect more often than not an old-world academic characteristic. Polished but stuffy - an old publishing paralysis.

There seems to be a move towards a 'cliche', pseudo-antique format, which is fussy and romantic and often at odds with the contents of the books. Many of the books' jackets over-used bright colours. A jacket, I think, should fit in with readers' lives, the rooms they live in, their book shelves. Fine Houses of Sydney and The Discovery of Australia are two particularly striking but subdued jackets. Margins remain a problem. Ridiculously large outside margins are as annoying, I think, as margins that are too tight. Very little thought is going into designing title pages or the layout of indexes. The best design feature of most of the books submitted is the jacket. Without their jackets, some books would not have taken a second glance in the competition.

16