The National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Manila Critics Circle (MCC) awarded Holy Angel University (HAU) the Best Book Design in the 39th National Book Awards on July 30, 2022, Saturday.
Published by the HAU Center for Kapampangan Studies (HAU-CKS), Claude Tayag’s book entitled “A Watercolor Journey” and designed by Miguel Mari beats six other finalists from Manila-based publishing houses for the Book Design Category.
The other finalists were “Trese Lite: Postcard Book 1” from 19th Avenida Publishing House, “Marka Demonyo: Or Poems on Love, Faith and Duct Tape” from Anvil Publishing House, “Also Filipino: 75 Regional Dishes I Never Had Growing Up” from RPD Publications, “Humadapnon (Tarangban): Sugidanon (Epics) of Panay, Book 8” from University of the Philippines Press, “Walk Manila” from Far Eastern University, and “Clothing the Colony: Nineteenth-Century Philippine Sartorial Culture, 1820-1896” from Ateneo de Manila University Press.
“Working on a project like A Watercolor Journey, his book, is an amazing experience for designers like me because my job is definitely made easier with the subject matters as beautiful and inspiring as Claude’s paintings are,” said Mari.
The Kapampangan chef and artist’s book was published in 2019 during an exhibit of his works at the HAU Cafe Juan and contains over a hundred of his watercolor paints between 1974 and 2019, including his well-known art on Baguio and Arayat landscapes, fiestas, religious icons, and portraits.
“Claude Tayag’s book A Watercolor Journey deserves to win…[for its] well considered aesthetic preferences, from the thoughtful choice of paper, the book format, to the choice of typefaces and the delicate layout. [It] reflects the generous collaboration between the artist and his designer,” commented Maria Yodel Pe, judge for the Design category.
To date, HAU-CKS has won a total of 11 National Book Awards.
