Image courtesy of Marc Newton, Binghamton University
Fifty-two museum publications have gained accolades in the 29th annual Museum Publications Design Competition, presented by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). This competition recognizes and encourages superior execution and ingenuity in the graphic design of museum publications and is the only national, juried competition of its kind.
This year’s winners were chosen from over 250 entries from the US and globally in 12 print media categories for their overall design excellence, creativity, and ability to express an institution’s personality, mission, or special features. Competing institutions are divided according to budget: museums with annual operating budgets under $1 million and those with budgets over $1 million.
Judges award the Frances Smyth-Ravenel Prize for Excellence in Publication Design to the best publication in the competition. “The George Eastman Museum is thrilled to receive the Frances Smyth-Ravenel Prize for Excellence in Publication Design for David Levinthal: War, Myth, Desire,” said Bruce Barnes, Ron and Donna Fielding Director of the museum. “The design of this four-volume box set was the result of the collaboration among designers George Corsillo and Susan McCaslin of Design Monsters, artist David Levinthal, and our publications team. We are deeply grateful to Donald Rosenfeld, whose support made this ambitious publication possible. The book accompanied our retrospective exhibition of Levinthal’s work, which followed the anonymous donation to the Eastman Museum of more than 5,000 photographs by the artist.”
This year, judges also recognized entries in any category that offer creative solutions or innovation regardless of institutional budget size. “Despite the 2020 global disruption, the breadth and quality of this year’s publication submissions were excellent,” said Bennett DeOlazo, juror for the Museum Publication Design Competition and principal of Studio B. “The common thread through all the work was the designers’ vision for quality and creativity to transform museum publications into tangible and compelling experiences. The judges were impressed to see aesthetic and printing choices that thoughtfully provoked and engaged viewers through their visual and tactile nature, without excessive flourish or flashiness.”
The panel of judges were: Nancy Hacskaylo Senior Graphic Designer, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Freer Gallery of Art & Arthur M. Sackler Gallery; Bennett DeOlazo, principal, Studio B; and Selena Robleto, principal, Red Velvet Creative.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Binghamton University Art Museum; Binghamton, NY
Seymour Chwast: Works of War | Designed by: Blažo Kovačević
Institutional budget less than $1 million