Die Schönsten Deutschen Bücher [The Best German Book Design]

The yearbooks introduction and the and awarded titles are split by a 32-page photo essay that Ann-Kathrin Müller and studio partner Sven Tillack created in a joint effort. The images present a visual exploration of places and scenes within the German National Libraries in Frankfurt and Leipzig. Places where books are viewed, consulted, consumed, and archived and embeds itself into the theme of “archives”. This serves as the visual framework of the yearbook.

The twenty-five awarded books are split into five categories. Every book is displayed in twelve pages: A picture of the books’ cover, as well as the books specifications and the jury evaluation in German and English. Throughout the book, all English texts are printed in silver. Each was approached differently. By doing so, image sequences resemble the books’ features like as if you approached the book yourself. Reference markers were added to texts and images to link texts and images. Different scaling helps to see different details in the awarded books. Often times the shown publications are bigger than the book present. As a result, the hand becomes a brilliant reference object, varying in size to the book design.

The book ends with the jury CVs, as well as the index: All used materials for the creation of the awarded books as well as all present people. These people, such as designers, photographers, project managers, authors as well as it’s materials are listed. Paper and binding supplies and well as companies, such as printing houses and publishers that make this valuable selection possible.