After a Bird Fell Down Prenteboek by Shu Wei Chang

After a Bird Fell Down Prenteboek by Shu Wei Chang is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award yn Brûns in Print en Publisearre Media Ûntwerp Competition Category.

BrûnsPrint· 2022

After a Bird Fell Down Prenteboek

by Shu Wei Chang

Client: Shu-Wei Chang

A' Design Award yn Brûns Winner in Print 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 Prenteboek

Neidat in Fûgel Delfoel is in prenteboek dat de struktuer fan in gatteboek en in pop-upboek kombinearret. It boek mjit 105 by 150 millimeter en is sawat 27 millimeter dik, tichtby de grutte fan in lyts fûgeltsje. As de siden omslein wurde, wurdt it gat grutter en groeit it kymke heger, wylst it boek sels tinner wurdt. De omslach is wyt, hat in sânachtige struktuer en befettet in trochsichtige stikker printe mei in grien fear binnen in ynparste ferdjipping. It ûntwerp lit sjen dat foarby gean fan tiid sawol ferlies as nije groei mei him meibringt.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award yn Brûns

After a Bird Fell Down Prenteboek is in winner fan de A' Design Award yn Brûns, in heech prestisjeuze erkenning foar treflike ûntwerpen dy't har ûnderskiede troch kreativiteit, fernuft en tûkens. Brûnswinners binne tige feardige en opfallend kreative artefakten dy't de grutte ûnderfining, ferbylding en betochtsumens fan har ûntwerpers befêstigje. Fan After a Bird Fell Down Prenteboek wurdt ferwachte dat it in tige heech achte, bewûndere en dierber objekt is dat opmerklik profesjoneel en ynnovatyf is. Dit winnende ûntwerp fan de A' Design Award yn Brûns yntegrearret de bêste praktiken yn keunst, wittenskip, ûntwerp en technology en is treflik om syn omtinken foar detail. After a Bird Fell Down Prenteboek foldocht behoeften prachtich, reitsjet winsken, betsjoeveret gefoelens en sprekt nijsgjirrigens oan.

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.