Page 60 - Print 21 magazine Jul-Aug 2021

Associations
Pride in Print Supreme Winner
Printing Industry’s Supreme Award 2021 was won with a ‘Beautiful Looking Book’ by Wakefield Digital
A‘beautiful looking book’ on the refurbishment of the Christchurch Town Hall won Pride In Print’s Supreme Award, after unanimously taking out the top prize in the 2021 awards.
Pride In Print is seen as the annual benchmarking event for the printing, packaging, signage and graphic arts industries, and attracts hundreds of entries from all over New Zealand each year. It is seen as a level playing field as winners in the past have come from both small and large companies.
This year’s winner was entered by Wellington’s Wakefield Digital, under the subcategory of hand binding, and stood
out from hundreds of other commercial jobs entered. Judging took place in April, and awards were announced at the gala evening event in Auckland, which was hosted by Hilary Barry and comedian Ben Hurley.
An ‘absolutely delighted and completely surprised’ Dickon
Lentell, who was only able to receive the award via zoom from his Wellington home, because
of the city’s level two Covid restrictions, said the book had been difficult to produce, but at the same time, such a pleasure.
“The complexity of these crossovers – and there are so many of them – that are 100 per cent perfect is difficult to achieve. Some of them are next level.”
– Judge, Johnny McHarg
Wakefield Digital produced it for Momento Books on behalf of the author, and Lentell said it took hours of calibrating to get it right, especially the colour consistency and double page spreads, but working with such quality design and photos made it worthwhile.
The glossy, limited edition,
hand finished book which judges said ‘blew them away’ with its craftsmanship and ‘perfect’ centre spreads throughout, was produced from photographs
by Olivia Spencer-Bower, and called Christchurch Town Hall: A Conservation Story.
She documented the refurbishment and rebuilding of the heritage building from the start of the project in 2015 to completion.
Judge Johnny McHarg said the stunning photography in the book and the number of double page spreads, or ‘crossovers’ that had been perfectly executed, was astounding.
“The complexity of these crossovers – and there are so many of them – that are 100 per cent perfect is difficult to achieve. Some of them are next level.
“This is a standout entry and miles ahead of every other print finishing job that we looked at. It is spectacular.”
Steve Watson called the book ‘a thing of beauty’.
Left
Next level: Pride in Print Supreme winner
Proud: Dickon Lentell, Wakefield Digital
we started going through the book (at judging) were those crossovers. A lot of them were like a single leaf, all the way through the book.”
He said the book was tightly sewn, which allowed the line-ups and folding to give that effect, which came in ‘page, after page, after page’.
“Most judges have seen thousands of crossovers in their careers but never anything like the quality of this. This book is special.”
The book was digitally printed on an HP Indigo 7000, and there were just 100 produced. It was finished with sections being sewn and then hand bound.
Award winning photographer Olivia Spencer-Bower photographed the town hall monthly from September
2015 until August 2019 as the complex was transformed from its earthquake-damaged state into the fully repaired venue for the performing arts.
Her monthly records were supplemented by time-lapse cameras located at strategic points around the complex. 21
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“What blew us away when
60 Print21 JULY/AUGUST 2021