Annual Book, Jacket, and Journal Show to open March 31

LAWRENCE — The University Press of Kansas invites the public to consider the process that goes into crafting the look of a book with the Association of American University Presses Book, Jacket, and Journal Show. Described by one designer as an “arcane subject,” how a book jacket is created and the interior type chosen and laid out on the page is a unique form of graphic design.

The UPK will host the exhibit Monday, March 31, through Friday, April 11, at its headquarters, 2502 Westbrooke Circle. Exhibit hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays. 

The show is a traveling exhibit of 94 books and jackets recognized for excellence in design and manufacture that were published by American university presses. Admirers of this art form and graphic designers alike are encouraged to pick up and examine the books to better view interior design details. The winners were selected from among 273 books, 331 jackets and covers, and four journals published in 2012 that were submitted by university presses. The jurors chose books based on superior layout of typography or illustration; jackets and journals were judged for outstanding overall design.  

Complimentary copies of the show catalog containing design specifications and jurors’ comments will be available.

Jurors for this year’s show were Mark Abrams, book cover designer for Vintage Books; Alex Camlin, creative director at DaCapo Press; Barbara deWilde, graphic designer; and Charlotte Strick, art director of Faber and Faber Inc.

The juried show was established in 1964 to recognize meritorious achievement and as a means for members of the Association of American University Presses to share ideas for “intelligent, creative and resourceful bookmaking.”