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DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

Fading Traditional Trades and Crafts Book by Jesvin Yeo Wins the Golden A' Design Award in Print and Published Media Design

Jesvin Yeo honored for print and published media design by the international grand jury of the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 22, 2022 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Fading Traditional Trades and Crafts Book by Jesvin Yeo has been granted the Golden A' Design Award in the Print and Published Media Design category. The award was conferred within the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

About the Golden A' Design Award

The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.

About Fading Traditional Trades and Crafts Book

The book uses 3D embossing to document and highlight the intricate details of the works meticulously crafted by traditional Singaporean artisans, from paper dragon boats and Indian jewelry to Peranakan beaded shoes. The color pages symbolize the rise and fall of traditional crafts, as the industry begins its developmental period (dull) to its golden age (yellow) and gradually fades (white). A pastel chalk is attached for readers to shade the pages and discover the lost arts of this intangible cultural heritage of Singapore, as only we humans can safeguard, support and bring it back.

About Jesvin Yeo

Jesvin Yeo, who trained at Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design in London, is a multidisciplinary designer who explores natures and consequences of historical and contemporary cultural changes, in particular areas related to Asian Material Culture and Heritage Studies. Of her core art and design interests, are the confluences of cultural elements, cultural identities and tradition, and their interface with emerging elements of the modern contemporary world.

Award Record

Jesvin Yeo is a winner of 6 A' Design Awards, including this recognition. The awards were granted between the 2013 - 2014 and the 2021 - 2022 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.

About the A' Print and Published Media Design Award

The A' Print Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good printed and published media by leading designers and brands worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to print designers, published media designers, graphic designers and typography experts from all countries. Typical entries include brochures, posters, magazines, catalogs, flyers and business cards. The awarded print designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/print

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project
Fading Traditional Trades and Crafts Book
Function
Book
Category
Print and Published Media Design
Discipline
Communication Design
Industry
Branding & Advertising and Entertainment
Colors
Dim Gray, Wheat, Snow, Gray and Dark Gray
Images
5

The Recognition

Laureate
Jesvin Yeo
Country
Singapore
Recognition
Golden A' Design Award
Edition
2021 - 2022
Design ID
#140455

Credits

Team
Alvin Ng.
Image Credits
All images: Photographer Victor Gui, 2021 and 2022

Design Details

Unique Properties
What makes this book unique is the use of the 3D embossing technique, not just embossing, to highlight the intricate details of the works meticulously crafted by traditional Singaporean artisans, from dragon boats to Peranakan beaded shoes. With the pastel chalk, the book encourages reader engagement by colouring pages to discover the lost art of our ancestors, as only we humans can help safeguard, support and bring attention to the significance of this intangible cultural heritage.
Inspiration
Working with traditional artisans, I learned that when our ancestors came to Singapore in the 19th century from Malaya, China and India, they brought their values and livelihoods with them. These livelihoods include various forms of traditional crafts that have largely enriched Singapore cultural heritage. Thus, it is essential to record these crafts, some of which have vanished or will vanish within the next 20 years, and trace their place to the roots of their meaningful beginnings.
Research
Given the scarcity of available resources, the approach included analysing oral history data collected by the National Archives of Singapore under the Vanishing Trades project in the 1980s and conducting fieldwork with current and retired artisans to understand the current situation and future substantiate the findings. The aim of the project is to document Singapore lost or vanished traditional crafts so that future generations can learn about them even after they disappear.
Challenge
The project challenges were facing the covid-19 pandemic and the difficulty of making 3D embossed plates. Production of the book was delayed for 6 months due to the intricateness of the artefacts and further halted for 8 months due to the spread of the coronavirus. The team worked closely with the production houses to ensure things could move forward smoothly, and we are grateful that all challenges were managed well in the end.
Realization and Technology
The making of this book explores how to combine traditional book forms with new technologies, make traditional book forms more interesting through unusual structures and visual stimuli, and push the boundaries of book design. The book is of significance to the design field because it not only records the traditional crafts for future designers to explore and contribute to the local craft landscape but also examines book design as a form of vanishing traditional craft.
Operation and Interaction
The colour pages of the book symbolize the rise and fall of traditional crafts, as the industry begins its developmental period (dull colour) to its golden age (yellow colour) and gradually fades (white colour). The pastel chalk is attached for readers to shade the pages and discover the lost arts of this intangible cultural heritage of Singapore.
Project Duration and Location
The project started in May 2015 in Singapore and finished production in December 2021. The book is on sale from March 2022.
Specifications
Book Box: 145mm (width) x 305mm (height) x 52mm (thickness) Book Box Sleeve: 540mm (width) x 220mm (height) Book: 140mm (width) x 298mm (height) x 40mm (thickness) Book Sleeve: 530mm (width) x 298mm (height) Inside pages (accordion fold): 4350mm (width) x 290mm (height) 3 Hard Covers: Inside Cover, Front and Back Covers
Keywords
Traditional Artisans, Traditional Crafts, Cultural Artifacts, Intangible Cultural Heritage

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