Unraveling the Roots of a Poetic Legacy

Exploring Marton Borzak's Award-Winning Book Design on Sandor Petofi's Descendants

Renowned designer Marton Borzak embarked on a project to create a book that would document the living descendants of Sandor Petofi, a revered Hungarian poet. The book, titled "My Relative, Petofi," is a testament to the extensive research undertaken by the author, featuring interviews, archive photographs, and meticulously detailed family trees.

The book's design is divided between two families - the poet's maternal and paternal branches. These are distinctively marked in the middle of the spreads with page numbers. To further illustrate the relationships, family trees were drawn and strategically placed on fold-out pages. The choice of a black and yellow color scheme complements the author's previous book, which was designed in black and blue.

Despite its intricate design, the book is user-friendly, with a small size that makes it easy to handle and browse through. The fold-out pages, which only fold twice, allow readers to explore the detailed family trees without difficulty. The book was printed using offset printing with two Pantone colors on Cyklus offset paper, resulting in a product that is as aesthetically pleasing as it is informative.

One of the challenges faced during the design process was creating an engaging design within a limited budget. Collaborating with the printer and the editor, Borzak devised a fold-out solution for displaying the family trees that was both visually appealing and cost-effective. The result is a book that is not only a tribute to a great poet's lineage but also a testament to the power of innovative design.

The project, which began in June 2016 and concluded in November 2016, was recognized for its creativity and technical excellence with a Silver A' Design Award in 2017. This prestigious accolade is awarded to designs that exhibit outstanding expertise, innovation, and artistic skill, and that evoke positive feelings, amazement, and wonder.

In conclusion, "My Relative, Petofi" is a remarkable example of how design can bring history to life. Through its thoughtful layout, engaging content, and innovative solutions, the book invites readers to explore the legacy of Sandor Petofi in a unique and captivating way.