Carla Sy is PANZ Young Designer of the Year - and Wins Exciting New Prize

16 July 2015
Media Release

Three top notch young Kiwi book designers contested the PANZ Young Designer of the Year Award for 2015 at Auckland’s Sapphire Room this evening (16 July 2015).

Anna Egan-Reid, Jessica Gommers and Carla Sy all have many covers and book interior layouts to their credit.

Anna loves doing cookbooks, large pictorial books and books that are a little outside the mainstream – one of which, The Super Power Baby Project, was an international prize winner. She works alongside her mother and sister in the family business, Mary Egan Publishing.

Carla, a designer at Penguin Random House, finds the publishing industry in New Zealand fascinating as it allows her to work on a wide range of genres; from children’s books to fiction and non-fiction books, including full colour illustrated books. “Working on books brings passion, inspiration and challenge on a daily basis — there’s never a dull day.”

Jessica Gommers has been a book and exhibition designer for public art galleries and publishers both in New Zealand and in Melbourne. Now a freelancer, she has worked on art books and most recently a book on contemporary dance photography.

But what none of the young designer finalists knew before the winner announcement was that a new prize was on offer – one for travel to Sydney and work experience at a top Australian publishing house. “HarperCollins ANZ is excited about the opportunity to build on our relationship with the book design community of New Zealand between our studio in Sydney and our freelance peers across the ditch,” said HarperCollins Creative Director Matt Stanton. “To work with PANZ on this unique opportunity to connect with young designers is something I wish I’d had the opportunity to take part in early in my career.”

Judges, headed by convenor Cameron Gibb Creative Director of neu design[graphic], were 2014 PANZ Young Designer of the Year Kalee Jackson, Tangible Media Director Vincent Heeringa and Miriam Rosenbloom, Creative Director  at Melbourne’s Scribe Publications. They assessed the ability of designers to consider the author’s work, the publisher’s marketing requirements and the audience appeal in the completed design.

Carla Sy was announced as the winner of the valued prize by Miriam Rosenbloom, who said “Carla Sy's work displays a great flexibility and depth of design talent. As well, Sy has shown herself to be a fine illustrator evidenced by her wonderful work on Drowning City and Singing Home the Whale. She has a good grasp of trade nonfiction design with her skilful work on The Mighty Totara. The Naturalist is another beautiful cover where Sy has used collage in a thoughtful and elegant way.”