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Stiftung Buchkunst Visual

The Best German Book Design 2021

These outstanding examples of design, concept and finishing are selected for the award by an independent jury. 

Single title

Die großen Flüsse der Welt

Die großen Flüsse der Welt

Presented in an opulent folio format, this compendium maps out major rivers such as the Danube, Mississippi, Mekong and Congo,...

Presented in an opulent folio format, this compendium maps out major rivers such as the Danube, Mississippi, Mekong and Congo, with the Nile even benefitting from fold-outs that double the page area, allowing for insights from ancient Egypt too. On each map, the blue waterway and green- or beige-hued land expanses provide the backdrop for illustrations of typical local scenes, the written descriptions of which remain literally in the background.

But what makes the overall effect so appealing? A brief analysis reveals that each composition is anchored by one or two large characters. These, like all other individual representations, are rendered as collages that call to mind the clearly defined outlines of coloured paper cut-outs. The structure of parallel curves seen in a brown bear’s wind-blown fur, for instance, recurs a few pages later in the waters of the Iguazú Falls, while each illustrated vignette is an illustrative work of art, with the same delightful attention to detail throughout.

What gives the maps such a lively feel is the fact that smaller images are scaled down – and not, as per conventional wisdom, all drawn from the start in proportion to their actual size. The effect is to create different scales within the same tableau, which, along with the tactile appeal of the cardstock, makes you want to delve right into these geographical treasure maps, to explore them with fingers as well as eyes. Indeed, it’s only when you get up close that you start taking in the captions; then their small type size suddenly makes sense, and what seemed like a hidden-picture book feels more like an adventure story.

Publisher:
ISBN:
978-3-8369-6041-0
Author:
Volker Mehnert, Martin Haake
Pages:
40
Format:
27,2 x 37 cm
Price:
€ 25.00
Date:
Further Information