The 59th Bookbuilders of New England Book Show

The 59th Bookbuilders of New England Book Show

The MIT Press was well-represented at the 59th Bookbuilders of New England Book Show on May 3rd. This annual event serves as an opportunity to gather and recognize the outstanding work done by New England publishers, printers, graphic designers, and developers. Senior Production Coordinator​ Kate Elwell was in attendance and reports back.

I look forward to the Bookbuilders of New England Book Show every year. It’s my favorite event because you get to admire, touch, and interact with the winning books. As a total production nerd, I love scouring the Book Show catalog to look at the printers, specs, and print runs for the beautiful books. One of the student winners this year printed on the Espresso Book Machine at Harvard Book Store!

The MIT Press was well-represented with two winners: Mass Effect took third place in General Trade Illustrated and Yayoi Kusama won first place in Professional Illustrated. MIT Press Senior Designer Erin Hasley served on the Judges Panel; and no, she did not judge in either General Trade or Professional Illustrated. 

The Book Show is also a great occasion to get together with people from the publishing industry. There’s usually a great turnout, so it’s always fun to catch up with old friends or even connect with colleagues outside of the office for a change. 

 

Kate Elwell (me) thrilled about seeing my name in print for the first time in a Book Show catalog for my role as the Production Coordinator for the first place winner Yayoi Kusama

 

Yayoi Kusama on display. The judges said of Design Manager Yasuyo Iguchi’s design: “Eye-catching yet subtle polka dot detail on jacket that carries through to playful endsheets picking up on the use of polka dots in the artist’s work. Nice use of whitespace in interior design layout that allows for an easy reader experience. Overall, a nice, clean presentation and design.”

 

Designer Emily Gutheinz submitted these comments regarding award-winning Mass Effect: “This is the first book in the series Critical Anthologies in Art and Culture, which present critical essays helping to shape developing topics in contemporary art. The design focus is on presenting the text in a thoughtful accessible way and accommodating different types of materials.”

 

Senior Designer and Book Show judge Erin Hasley and Production Manager Janet Rossi on the Green Line en route to the event with a cloudy Boston skyline in the background.