What a grand success this special project was for BCBF and Publishers Weekly who created the event in collaboration with Steven Guarnaccia – illustrator, designer and associated professor at New York’s Parsons School of Design – and the Italian Cultural Association Hamelin.
The rich programme began on May 29 with an international symposium dedicated to the visual book, in the prestigious setting of the Parsons School of Design, then continued to NYRF for a series of meetings with great artists and experts in the field such as Jo Steffens, Seymour Chwast, Keith Godard, Alessandro Sanna, Paul Sahre, Lauren Tamaki, Marti Guixé, Debbie Millman, Jonathan Wajskol, David Macaulay, Charles Kim, Mark Stamaty, Connor Stechschulte, Richard McGuire e Lale Westvind.
Many themes were tackled: from the importance of the cover design to the book-as-object starting from Munari's ideas, but also design and the city in children's books, the new trends in visual cookbooks, and the alternative avenues of contemporary comics.
A special place was reserved for the "TALKING PICTURES : Selected Books" award, aimed at recognizing excellence in editorial design in five different categories. An expert jury selected 30 notable books from among the five hundred titles that were submitted from all over the world.
The jury was made up of representatives from Publishers Weekly, Parsons School of Design and Hamelin Cultural Association, as well as independent experts Seymour Chwast and Jonathan Wajskol.
“There is a renaissance of the visual book. In visual books—children’s books, art books, comics and particularly cookbooks—you see great innovation and energy. ‘TALKING PICTURES: Selected Books’ is a celebration of the visual book in all its manifestations and one place the visual medium reigns supreme is children’s books” said Steven Guarnaccia.
The winners and honorable mentions reveal strong connections with the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, among which Cabanes by Aurélien Débat (Les Grandes Personnes), best book of the Children category and winner of the BolognaRagazzi Award 2018 in the Art, Architecture and Design Category.
Discover the gallery of winners and special mentions of the Talking Pictures Award