Best Finnish Book Design 2004 at the National Library of Estonia
Gallery on the 7th floor displays the best designed Finnish book of the year 2004 and the distinguished books selection. The exhibition at the National Library, Tõnismägi 2, stays open until February 26.
The Finnish Book Arts Committee has awarded the prizes for the finest books of the year for the 59th time.
Of all the books printed in 2004, the Finnish Book Arts Committee received a total of 208 books from 55 publishers and 28 of these also competed for the Best Book Jacket award.The Committee nominated 24 books by 14 different publishers for the Distinguished Books Selection, and gave an Honourable Mention to 5 books for their respective jackets. In addition, one series of books received a Special Mention for its successful design.
Katriina Kauppila: Prinsessojen satuaarre
Publisher and reproduction: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava
Graphic designer, cover and binding designer: Ms Raija Pitkänen
Illustrator: Ms Kristiina Louhi
Printing house and binder: Otavan Kirjapaino Oy
”Prinsessojen satuaarre” is a brilliant, yet unpretentious work of art. It is a traditional fairytale, yet not fixated on the old format. In this book, the romantic fairytale world is not just glitter and empty glamour. The illustrations follow the unadulterated perspective of a child: reality and every-day-life combined with dreams and fairytale traditions.
Adult readers will gradually grow to appreciate the multiple levels of interpretation and comments hidden in the illustrations: references to painted art and layers of history, visual and verbal hints and comments. The illustrations are ample, yet not abundant.
Small vignettes and dropped capitals create a great balance with full-page illustrations. There is also room for the images created by the reader’s own mind. The peaceful, uncomplicated typography makes the clear characters and compositions of the illustrations stand out. The matt paper makes the gorgeous colours look their best.
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