Guardian Art Book Fair 2023
Mint Design Lab• Date added
20 September 2023
The Guardian Art Book Fair is held at the Guardian Art Center in Beijing, bringing together over 40 prominent art publishing houses worldwide showcasing 10,000 books. The 1,400-square-metre venue allows visitors to explore publishing brands, elegant hardcovers, rare editions, and a special exhibition on book seals and plates.
Beijing-based design studio Mint Design Lab worked on shaping the visual identity and exhibition design for the fair's second edition in April 2023, which translated the abstract concept of books into a tangible, three-dimensional representation that highlighted the dynamic interplay between literature, human experience, and the realms of creativity and imagination.
Client
Guardian Art Center
Year
2023
Creative Director
Zhu Chao
Graphic Designer
Zhu Chao
Sun He
Typefaces in Use
Depending on the reader's perspective, books can assume either a flat or three-dimensional form, invoking different visual perceptions. Turning a book’s pages marks the passage of time and expands the sense of space. Between the dynamic interplay of the pages and the immersion in captivating narratives, books can be likened to vibrant extensions of the human body.
The key visual of the fair's second edition revolves around the theme of "books." Mint Design Lab merged abstract patterns resembling open books with eye motifs to represent a book-shaped face visually. This design extends the concept of literature to the physical, human realm.
Throughout human civilisation, eyes have evolved from being seen as simple physiological organs to powerful visual symbols, transcending borders and embodying deeper meanings throughout the ages. The ensuing visual serves as an evocative backdrop, establishing a link between the theme of books and the symbolic value of eyes across human culture and history.
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