After a Bird Fell Down Prentjieboek by Shu Wei Chang

After a Bird Fell Down Prentjieboek by Shu Wei Chang is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award in Brons in Druk- en Gepubliseerde Media Ontwerp Competition Category.

BronsDrukwerk· 2022

After a Bird Fell Down Prentjieboek

by Shu Wei Chang

Client: Shu-Wei Chang

A' Design Award in Brons Winner in Drukwerk Category

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Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #130690

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Colors

The Design

About After a Bird Fell Down Prentjieboek

Nadat 'n Voël Neergeval Het is 'n prentjieboek wat die struktuur van 'n gaatjieboek en 'n opklapboek kombineer. Die boek meet 105 by 150 millimeter en is ongeveer 27 millimeter dik, naby die grootte van 'n klein voëltjie. Terwyl die blaaie omgeblaai word, word die gaatjie groter en die spruitjie styg hoër, terwyl die boek self dunner word. Die voorblad is wit, het 'n sandagtige tekstuur en huisves 'n deurskynende sticker met 'n groen veer daarop gedruk, binne 'n ingedrukte holte. Die ontwerp toon dat die verloop van tyd beide verlies en nuwe groei bring.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in Brons

After a Bird Fell Down Prentjieboek is 'n wenner van die A' Design Award in Brons, 'n hoogs prestigieuse erkenning wat toegeken word aan uitstaande ontwerpe wat gekenmerk word deur kreatiwiteit, vindingrykheid en skerpsinnigheid. Wenners in Brons is ruimskoots vaardige en opvallend kreatiewe artefakte wat die groot ervaring, verbeelding en vindingrykheid van hul ontwerpers bevestig. Daar word verwag dat After a Bird Fell Down Prentjieboek 'n hoog aangeskrewe, bewonderde en gekoesterde voorwerp is wat merkwaardig professioneel en innoverend is. Hierdie ontwerp wat die A' Design Award in Brons gewen het, inkorporeer die beste praktyke in kuns, wetenskap, ontwerp en tegnologie en is uitstekend vanweë sy aandag aan detail. After a Bird Fell Down Prentjieboek bevredig behoeftes pragtig, raak aan begeertes, bekoor gevoelens en spreek die nuuskierigheid aan.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: By combining the structure of hole books and pop-up books, this picture book adopts "volume of book pages" into its narrative. While reading, readers would find out the hole bigger and the sprout taller page by page. With A6 size and thickness which is almost three centimeters, the book size is as big as the dead body of a bird. While readers turn each page and make the book thinner, they can feel that the body of a bird gradually disappears at the same time.
Dimensions & Packaging: 105mm x 27mm x 150mm, 15pages, back taping, debossing and a transparent sticker on cover
Tags: graphic design, editorial, book design, picture book, hole book, pop-up book, artist's book
Production Technology: In terms of color, the whole book is purely white as possible. Wish such kind of emptiness could make readers relate to "time," something we cannot see but can feel. Besides, there is no words shown on book cover. Instead there is a debossed rectangular pit where a transparent sticker printed with a green feather is at. It looks like a photo frame sealing a feather, which symbolizes that this book seals the death of the bird in this story.

Second, paper with sand-like texture is chosen for the cover. Hope readers can feel like touching the ground; that is, where this story happens.

Third, the copyright page is decorated with blue sky and is the very beginning of this story as well. So, when readers open this book, they would not only read the sentence, "A bird fell down onto the ground," they can dive into this story from the bird's-eye view from the sky.
Design Challenge: The most difficult part is how to actualize the binding. Before the final version, the design was revised three or four times. At the beginning, this book was envisioned to be the board book for babies. With the binding method which thick cardboard was pasted in pairs, it was planned that there would be a hole within this book. Yet, it would be almost impossible to make holes on each page aligned. In addition, if
chosen paper is thicker than 1 mm, it couldn't be printed or even bound. After long discussions and several revisions, 0.5mm cardboards with spine taping is chosen. Such binding needs more glue than ordinary books to bind pages firmly. It jams pages as well. So, after the printer made several experiments to find out the most suitable way for flipping through, it became the book you see now.
Inspiration: It's a story about seeds germinating after a bird died and fell down onto the ground, and the end but also the beginning of life. Via increase and decrease of its volume, this book want to bring out the plot and core concept: "there are two sides to life.", and make readers realize that time passing are not simply about reduction and death. Increase and birth are also what time passing brings.