Rights Catalogue 2011

It's the week of the Frankfurt Book Fair and I've just realised I haven't mentioned anything about the Rights Catalogue we designed for PANZ earlier this year.  It's been produced to celebrate and promote New Zealand Publishers as the 2012 Guests of Honour.

We not only gained the challenge of putting together this 32 page book featuring 100 outstanding NZ titles, but we also built a friendship with the PANZ team. Pizza and wine will not be the same in Auckland without Nikki Crowthers and her support and patience in working with us while we set up our new studio. It was so appreciated.

Best of luck to all the publishers featured. You can also check out the online version with extras.

Excellence in Biology NCEA Level 2

written by Martin Hanson, published by Cengage Learning

Four colour throughout, this secondary education book is all class. There's times when you don't look at a file for a while and and when you next look go 'wow'. The work that Sarah has put into making this content sing is awesome. The colours are vibrant throughout and the design is fresh and almost bordering on trendy. Just the way your teenager would like it. I'd study Biology if I had a book like this. I hope it makes a huge difference to someone's learning.

There's a Hole in my Bucket

Sung by The Topp Twins and illustrated by Jenny Cooper, published by Scholastic

There's a hole in my bucket dear Liza, dear Liza, 

There's a hole in my bucket dear dear Liza a hole.

Don't you just remember getting the words to this song stuck in your head as a kid. When we read them accompanying Jenny's fantastically quirky illustrations, I just didn't want the song to stop. I love the attitude of  both the Topp Twins song and in Liza and Henry's actions on the page. This book is really cool. I can't wait to see were it will go.

Anita is the clever cookie whose design brought the two together.

The launch for this was held at Storylines in Christchurch last month. The Topp Twins have always been a favourite of mine so you have to excuse this pic, but they were awesome singing the song live.

Kim and Penny Scown from Scholastic posing with the Topps. Where's that Jenny Cooper?

Soup to Nuts - 1200 recipes

Yes that's right 1200 recipes! This book is colossal, over 800 pages. I have a great amount of admiration for Richard to have collected so many different types of soups. There's even one for 'Mock Turtle Soup'.

We took the content to heart in our studio and all had turns at bringing a different soup for lunch - once a week for most of the duration of winter. Maria's Borsch probably took out the top prize (actually I think her mum was the cook), it was delicious.

Editions is a publishing company based in Noumea and it was wonderful to work with Catherine Ledru. Her lovely french accent on the other end of the phone was like a purr when she tried to wrap her tongue around our english words. Meanwhile Richard Tapper is based in Hanmer Springs if you ever feel like a very tasty treat.

This is Maria's first big book project and to see her face when the printed copy arrived this morning was just priceless. There is a lot of passion in this book. Good job team.

Just look at the size of this spine. It's over 800 pages of soup recipes.

My Language My Inspiration

written by Chris Winitana and published by Huia in English and Maori.

With both of these books being around the 350 page mark, this was a great project to be involved with.

They are our first books with Huia and it was wonderful to work with such a professional as Jim Firth. Thanks heaps Jim for giving our services a go.

It was a real pleasure to see these books arrive in the post. We love the colour on the covers.

Native by Design – Landscape design with New Zealand plants

Edited by Ian Spellerberg and Michelle Frey | Photography by John Maillard
Published by Canterbury University Press

With twenty contributors all passionate and top in their landscaping field, this book had the potential to be a nightmare. Rachel Scott from CUP is far too good a professional though to let that happen.

We were involved in the consultation process right from the beginning and helped plan out the need for some sort of consistency. A book like this needs flow. It is full colour throughout with stunning photography. You'll really look twice at your back-yard next time you are out there for a coffee after reading this title.

Book launches are always interesting times too. With so many people involved I was a bit uncertain that we may not have made everyone happy. I was quick to grab a wine upon walking in the door. But I've never heard so much praise for one of our designers. It was warm fuzzies all the way around. Well done Anita. You cracked it again.

Christchurch 22.2 Beyond the Cordon

We are very privileged to have been asked by Hachette to design this amazing book. The bravery and dedication of the police and USAR teams working within the cordon is beyond our imagination. These images from the talented DVI photographers truly capture the full extent of the devastation previously unseen of our shattered city.

The photographs and stories told from the photographers themselves will be with us forever. I don't know if I can put into words how proud we are to have produced this book.

PS> Sarah and Maria have just got off the plane from Auckland and are back in Christchurch for this very special book launch. We are very much looking forward to having a celebration drink with the boys tonight.