Lan ya Bai Yun Limited Edition Books by Sun Jian is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 Bronze A' Design Award in Limited Edition and Custom Design Competition Category.
BronzeLimited Edition· 2021
Lan ya Bai Yun Limited Edition Books
by Sun Jian
Client: Sun Design Brand＆design（beijing）co.ltd
Bronze A' Design Award Winner in Limited Edition Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #116968The Design
About Lan ya Bai Yun Limited Edition Books
The book records, researches and restores the skills of the blue calico. The pictures and texts fully show the unique design of the Chinese blue book binding. The magnetic hardcover gift box on the cloth, the cover is depressed and opened in blue, contains double volumes, naked ridge lock blue thread, classic Elegant, dedicated and clean, with great cultural heritage and collection value. Open this Chinese blue dye "collection of classics" for you to unfold the 800-year charm of printing and dyeing craftsmanship!
The Recognition
About the Bronze A' Design Award
Lan ya Bai Yun Limited Edition Books is a Bronze A' Design Award winner, a highly prestigious recognition granted to outstanding designs distinguished by creativity, ingenuity, and astuteness. Bronze winners are amply skillful and strikingly creative artifacts that authenticate the vast experience, imagination, and resourcefulness of their designers. Lan ya Bai Yun Limited Edition Books is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished object that is notably professional and innovative. This Bronze A' Design Award-winning design incorporates best practices in art, science, design, and technology, and is excellent for its attention to detail. Lan ya Bai Yun Limited Edition Books splendidly satisfies needs, touches desires, charms feelings, and appeals to curiosity.
Interviews
Design Interview
What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
Our design aimed to honor and preserve the rich cultural heritage embedded within the art of blue calico, highlighting its historical significance and timeless appeal for contemporary audiences.
What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
We aimed to pay homage to the intricate craftsmanship and cultural significance of blue calico, preserving its legacy and ensuring its continued relevance and appreciation in contemporary society.
What are your future plans for this award winning design?
We plan to organize exhibitions and showcases dedicated to "Lan Ya Baiyun," allowing audiences to engage with the intricacies of the design and immerse themselves in the rich cultural heritage and artistry of blue calico.
Grand Interview
Your innovative approach to preserving the 800-year-old blue calico technique through Lan ya Bai Yun Limited Edition Books is remarkable - could you share the story behind choosing this ancient craft as your focus and how it shaped your design decisions?
The decision to focus on the 800-year-old blue calico technique for the *Lan Ya Bai Yun* Limited Edition Book was driven by a deep respect for this ancient craft’s cultural significance and its ability to connect the past with the present. Blue calico is not only a unique textile technique but also embodies generations of wisdom and artistry. Our design choices, from using the signature blue hue to incorporating burlap and hand-crafted fabric into the pages, were made to honor the tradition while creating a modern, collectible piece. Each element was carefully considered to ensure the book not only preserves this rich heritage but also engages contemporary audiences, making the ancient craft of blue calico feel both timeless and relevant.
The handmade blue printed cloth mounted inside each Lan ya Bai Yun Limited Edition Books creates a unique pattern - how did this integration of actual craftwork influence your overall vision for connecting readers physically with this cultural heritage?
Integrating handmade blue printed cloth into each *Lan Ya Bai Yun* Limited Edition Book was a key decision to create a physical connection between readers and the cultural heritage of blue calico. The unique, hand-drawn patterns of the fabric offer readers a tactile experience that brings them closer to the craftsmanship behind the traditional technique. By incorporating this actual craftwork, we aimed to engage readers not just visually, but physically, allowing them to experience the artistry and individuality of blue calico firsthand. This integration deepens the connection to the heritage, making the book a meaningful and immersive artifact that bridges the past and present.
What inspired your decision to use the magnetic hardcover gift box and naked ridge lock blue thread binding in Lan ya Bai Yun Limited Edition Books, and how do these elements enhance the reader's experience of Chinese craftsmanship?
The use of the magnetic hardcover gift box and naked ridge lock blue thread binding in the *Lan Ya Bai Yun* Limited Edition Book was inspired by a desire to honor Chinese craftsmanship while providing a unique, tactile experience for the reader. The magnetic gift box creates a sense of luxury and anticipation, enhancing the overall presentation of the book. Meanwhile, the naked ridge lock blue thread binding, with its striking blue thread, reflects the traditional art of Chinese bookmaking and reinforces the cultural theme of blue calico. These elements elevate the book into a collectible artifact, immersing the reader in a sensory experience that connects them to both the craftsmanship and cultural heritage of the blue calico technique.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- This book is Wu Yuanxin's masterpiece. He is a master craftsman and the national heir to blue calico. He spent 5 years in 21 provinces, cities and autonomous regions. It has collected more than 40 years of collection and research results, and created an integration of printing and dyeing patterns of heavyweight Chinese handicrafts. Books record, research and restore the technology of blue calico. These pictures and text fully demonstrate the mystery and charm of Chinese blue dye.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 210 mm x 50 mm x 290mm
- Tags
- Lan Ya Bai Yun, Lan Ya Bai Yun Book, Lan Ya Bai Yun Book Design
- Production Technology
- In order to provide users with a better experience, we include a double volume on the inner page design, and a piece of handmade blue printed cloth is mounted inside. Because each piece of cloth is hand-made, it has a different pattern to ensure that it is integrated with the book. It is ancient and elegant, dedicated to repair and clean, with great cultural heritage and collection value.
- Design Challenge
- Our task is to propose a book design concept that stands out with the highly-known blue calico book "Lan Ya Bai Yun". This book must be novel, unique, and tell the story of the masterpiece of Wu Yuanxin, the national inheritor of blue calico and his descendants in a simple and easy-to-understand way. It must also be felt that it is part of the continuation of the non-heritage context, rejuvenating it in contemporary society, and can exist at the same time.
- Research
- Lan Ya Bai Yun-This book is a limited edition masterpiece of Wu Yuanxin, a master of arts and crafts and the gold medal winner of the "Mountain Flower Award" in Chinese folk literature and art. The Autonomous Region has collected 40 years of collection and research results in a unique book, including records, research and restoration of blue calico techniques, continuing the non-heritage context, and reviving it in contemporary society. These stories are based on the book records of the integration of Chinese craftsmanship printing and dyeing patterns and blue calico skills.
- Inspiration
- These researches and restorations are based on the collection and research results of 40 years, and the integration of Chinese craftsmanship printing and dyeing patterns. The idea behind the "Lan Ya Bai Yun" series is to record, research and restore all the books on the blue calico technique in one book. Our mission is to create a book with a unique, natural and historical sense to support the inherited concepts and stories.
- Project Duration
- May 2019 in China Beijing
- Operation Flow
- In order to associate this book with the blue calico, we used its main blue color, printing and dyeing patterns and simple patterns of Chinese craftsmanship. We decided to use burlap in the cover design of the book. These two characters come from ancient ancestors' wisdom over thousands of years. The purpose of manually opening the spine is to increase the sense of nature. And installed a handmade blue calico inside. Since each piece of cloth has different patterns on its hands, it can be used in conjunction with books. It is ancient and elegant, dedicated to maintenance and cleaning, and has a deep cultural heritage and collection value.
- Patents
- Copyrights belong to Beijing Publishing Group, 2020.
- Team Members
- Sun Jian
- Image Credits
- Picture #1-5: Designer Jian Sun.
Sponsored
Explore Beyond Designers.org
Discover products, services and opportunities from our advertising partners.
More to Explore
Related Designs
Explore more award-winning designs from the same category, selected by merit.
