The Most Beautiful Swiss Books 2014 at the Helmhaus Zürich

Bern, 09.06.2015 - This year, the Helmhaus hosts the “Most Beautiful Swiss Books” competition for the fifth time. Over a four-day period, it will be a meeting place for designers, publishers and producers. The Jan Tschichold Award, which recognises outstanding achievements in book design, goes to the designer, publisher and university professor Urs Lehni. The exhibition in the Helmhaus marks the first stage of a small exhibition tour which will also travel to St. Gallen, Lavin, Basel and Geneva.

The Federal Office of Culture FOC has organised the “Most Beautiful Swiss Books” competition every year since 1999. The award recognises outstanding achievements in book design and production and focuses attention on especially remarkable and contemporary books. At the end of January 2015 the five-member jury chaired by Manuel Krebs considered a total of 437 entries and chose 17 titles as the most beautiful Swiss books of 2014 (https://www.news.admin.ch/message/index.html?lang=en&msg-id=56414).

Jan Tschichold Award 2015 goes to the designer and publisher Urs Lehni
Inaugurated by the FOC in 1998, the Jan Tschichold Award recognises outstanding achievements in book design by an individual, group or institution. It is bestowed independently of the competition. This year’s award, which is endowed with CHF 15,000, goes to the designer, publisher and graphic design professor Urs Lehni (b. 1974 in Lucerne). In its commendation, the jury noted that Lehni and his Rollo Press publishing house, which was founded in 2008, produce remarkable and diverse publications whose quality appeals to an international audience. Working closely with artists and institutions, Urs Lehni repeatedly devises unique solutions for books, while as a publisher and academic, he consistently interrogates the practice of publishing and publishers.

“The Most Beautiful Swiss Books 2014” exhibition
“The Most Beautiful Swiss Books” of 2014 will be on display to the public at the Helmhaus Zurich from 25 to 28 June 2015. The catalogue of this year’s competition (designed by Studio NOI – Simone Koller and Corina Neuenschwander, Zurich) will be published at the same time. It takes a look behind the scenes of the award-winning books, with high-quality reproductions and discussions with the seventeen designers and publishing teams offering an insight into the processes of their creation. The Jan Tschichold Award winner will be honoured at the vernissage with a performative encomium by the Dutch-Swedish performance artist Olof Olsson.

Further information

Opening: Thursday 25 June from 6 p.m.
7 p.m.: Welcome by Danielle Nanchen, Head of Cultural Creativity Section, Federal Office of Culture / Peter Haerle, City of Zurich Director of Culture / Encomium for Jan Tschichold Award winner Urs Lehni: Olof Olsson

The Most Beautiful Swiss Books 2014 catalogue
Issuer: Federal Office of Culture
Publication date: 25 June 2015
Concept and design: Studio NOI – Simone Koller and Corina Neuenschwander, Zurich
Jury reports: Tan Wälchli, Berlin / Zurich
Texts: German, French, Italian, English
ISBN: 978-3-909928-30-9
Distributors: Edition Hochparterre, www.edition.hochparterre.ch (Switzerland, Germany, Austria) and Idea Books, Amsterdam, www.ideabooks.nl (rest of the world)

Address for enquiries

Anisha Imhasly, Federal Office of Culture, tel 058 462 26 99, fax 058 462 78 34, anisha.imhasly@bak.admin.ch, www.swissdesignawards.ch/beautifulbooks