Discussing Time 书籍 by Zona Yuechen Guan is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award 铜奖 in 印刷与出版媒体设计 Competition Category.

铜印刷· 2022

Discussing Time 书籍

by Zona Yuechen Guan

Client: Zona Yuechen Guan

A' Design Award 铜奖 Winner in 印刷 Category

17,694

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #136550

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Discussing Time 书籍

《讨论时间》是一本记录关于时间概念的小组讨论,并呈现由该讨论启发而成的字体雕塑的书籍。本书尺寸为7×12英寸。其中一件雕塑由冰制成,通过将水倒入模具冷冻成型。当冰融化为水,时间的流逝便清晰地呈现在观者眼前。版面设计借鉴了十六世纪早期的泥金装饰手抄本与羊皮纸书籍,并与现代摄影相结合。最终成果将历史悠久的书籍设计与当代技术联系在一起。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 铜奖

Discussing Time 书籍是 A' Design Award 铜奖得主，这是授予以创造力、独创性和敏锐见长的杰出设计的极具声望的认可。铜奖得主是技艺娴熟、创意惊人的作品，印证了其设计师丰富的经验、想象力与机智。预计Discussing Time 书籍将成为一件备受推崇、令人钦佩且被珍爱的物品，兼具显著的专业性与创新性。这件赢得 A' Design Award 铜奖的设计融入艺术、科学、设计和技术领域的最佳实践，并因注重细节而出类拔萃。Discussing Time 书籍出色地满足需求，触动渴望，迷住情感，并吸引好奇心。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: This project is a group discussion of interdisciplinary type design experience that the designer played different roles: the sculpture's artist, the concept creator, the photographer, the videographer, the facilitator of discussion, the transcriber of the conversation, the editor of the texts recorded, the designer, and the bookbinder. A collective book features a sculpture of time made by the designer based on illuminated manuscript-style book design with a modern twist in its photography.
Dimensions & Packaging: The book is designed in the size of 7x12 inches.
Tags: Typography, Interdisciplinary Design, Time, Sculpture, Book Design, Ice, Type.
Production Technology: For the sculpture, I use ice. I make the molds and then pull water inside and then freeze it to get the iced sculpture.
Design Challenge: I think the hardest pair part for this project is "time." Since this is a collective book design project, we need to gather everyone to discuss the concept of "time." Everyone has a different understanding of "time," we have to discuss everyone's expressions and ideas. And then design a typographic sculpture based on "time." I need to repeatedly discuss with everyone and complete my own sculpture works in this process. So time is very tight. Doing research, finding the parchment, and analyzing the typography, fonts, design preferences of that era took a lot of time as well.
Research: I have researched many books from the 16th century onwards and sources on book printing and design analysis. A team of thirteen people, including the instructor and I, had many discussions on our understanding and views on "time." My sculpture's concept originates from the natural phenomenon of ice melting into the water. The design combines sixteenth-century book design elements with modern technology, making the book design itself embody a concept of "crossing time."
Inspiration: When people look at the ice, they cannot see the melting change immediately. It is like they could not feel the movement of time when they were young. When people start to realize the changes, it will be more obvious that the melting speed will be faster. The ice will melt into the water at the end. The ice will finally become water, left on the ground, but the water print will leave on the surface. Although it is the end, it still leaves something behind to the world.
Project Duration: This project started in February 2020 in New York and finished in April 2020 in New Yoke, and won the silver award of Graphis New Talent 2021 in New York.
Operation Flow: This is a collective book design project for thinking and discussing "time" and sculpture-making with the letter "time." My time sculpture started with the natural phenomenon of ice melting into the water. I want the audience to experience the passage of time. Referring to the parchment design in the early 16th century, I use ancient design elements to combine with modern technology. In the end, I got a collective book of thoughts and discussions on "time" and sculpture works that spanned time.
Patents: Copyrights belong to Yuechen Guan, 2020.
Image Credits: Image#1: Photographer Zona Yuechen Guan
Image#2: Photographer Zona Yuechen Guan
Image#4: Photographer Zona Yuechen Guan
Image#5: Photographer Zona Yuechen Guan
Video Credit: Film, photograph, edit by Zona Yuechen Guan/Music by Andigold