I received the ISTD 2009 International Typographic Awards catalogue* through my letterbox the other week and what a little gem it is. The variety and undoubted quality of submissions make it a fantastic contemporary reference for anyone interested in typography and graphic design.
Special congratulations must go to Studio Apeloig of Paris, who received the prestigious Overall Winner’s award for their series of posters for Théâtre du Châtelet. Awards Jury Chair Gilmar Wendt sums the poster series up rather well:
‘Three posters. Black and white type on coloured backgrounds. I first saw them in situ on the metro in Paris where their sheer visual power cut through all the clutter of signage, ads and busy people jumping on and off the trains. I don’t remember any of the other ads but these posters stuck with me. What is so wonderful about them is how they are at the same time clear information design, and beautiful graphics. Because the words drive the design, all three of them, whilst using the same principles, become unique pieces. And if the typography provides unity, the coloured backgrounds help differentiate. Simple, beautiful, intriguing.’
Winners of Premier Awards include Cartlidge Levene (for their brilliant wayfinding signage at the Guardian newspaper HQ), Barcelona based Studio Astrid Stavro (featured in this month’s Grafik), Studio 8 Design, Vienna’s Bohatch Visual Communication and Bockting Ontwerpers of Amsterdam amongst others.
* For those of you who are still writing Christmas lists, there’s a few copies of the catalogue left and they’re being sold on the ISTD website
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