Stefan Canuel's Award-Winning Exhibition Catalogue

Revolutionizing Artistic Representation with Innovative Design

The catalogue features the works of Canadian artist Chris Cran, spanning from his early career to the present day. Canuel's design was inspired by Cran's use of the halftone dot, a technique that has been a constant in the artist's multifaceted career. The cover of the catalogue features a halftone dot image, with a yellow color sleeve incorporated to reference the many layers in Cran's practice. The use of one of the Chorus faces on the cover is a humorous nod to the visitor experience, and a spot-UV varnish was used to give the image a three-dimensional quality similar to Cran's works.

Canuel's design process involved a close collaboration with the artist, the curator, and the chief of publication, as well as extensive research and analysis. This included studying the artist's past catalogues, market trends for contemporary art books, and the history of the artist. The design strategy focused on the use of the halftone dot, which made Cran popular in the early 1990s, rather than using one of his recent works.

The catalogue is a 204-page casebound book, printed in 4 colors process on Sterling Premium 7pt matte. The cover is printed in Pantone black with a 5mm thick spot UV coating over black ink. The sleeve is printed full bleed on 4 sides in Pantone yellow with type knockoff on clear polypropylene. The book slides out of the clear yellow sleeve, revealing a black and white halftone image with a relief over the black to mimic painted dots.

Working with an artist on a book is always a challenge, as it is crucial to respect the artist's work while adding another dimension to give depth and autonomy to the final product. Canuel successfully navigated this challenge, convincing the artist of the value in making a book that would be an object in its own right. The final product is a testament to Canuel's innovative design approach and his ability to create a design that is both sympathetic to the artist's work and stands as an object in its own right.

The Golden A' Design Award is granted to marvelous, outstanding, and trendsetting creations that reflect the designer's prodigy and wisdom. They are venerated products and bright ideas that advance art, science, design, and technology, embodying extraordinary excellence and significantly impacting the world with their desirable characteristics. Canuel's exhibition catalogue is a deserving winner of this prestigious award.