在世界各地，书籍设计都是为阅读书籍和领会书籍内容服务的。设计者虽然要从审美的角度进行构思来确定书籍的外观，但他们这么做并不仅仅是为了使书籍看起来更美观，而是为了使内容的传达更准确。文字和语言可能会因国家和文化的不同而有所区别，书籍的外观也可能因设计的不同而形式多样，但其基本的原则却是相互一致的。

Everywhere in the world, book design is meant to serve book reading or the understanding of the contents. Although book designers need to define the appearance of a book in the esthetic perspective, they do not do this merely to make books pleasing to the eye, on top of that, they aim to make the contents more accurately rendered. The appearance of books might vary due to different designs, nevertheless, the basic principles of book design remain consistent and unchanged.

   在媒体不断细分、竞争加剧的情况下，传统纸质书完全可以发掘其媒体特性而获得新生。这些特性需要通过未来新的书籍设计理念和实践得到更好的发挥。传统书较数字化阅读的优势在于其感性的表现方式：实物感和现实感。毕竟纸张本身就是一种信息载体。有人摈弃网络下载而选择购买图书，就是特别珍视书本持握在手的感觉：实在且耐久。于是读者对设计、装帧与质量的要求较以往更为苛刻。优秀的版式设计今后也是纸质书的一大重要特征。

Because of increasing medial differentiation and growing competition, the print book and its medial attributes could experience a renaissance. Making these attributes more visible should be the aim for conceptual and book design in the future. The book’s strength lie in its sensual manifestation as opposed to the digital availability of book-approximate content: in its materiality and concreteness.  After all, the paper itself is already an information-carrier.  And whoever decides to buy a printed book, as opposed to a download, will consciously appreciate its convenience, the tangibility and the relative durability.  Therefore, readers are now more demanding than ever about the design, binding and quality of books.  A well executed readable typography will become a more important attribute of print books.

   “中国最美的书”评选活动也如同其他图书奖项一样，不仅为出版机构、书籍设计师和印刷技术企业，还为读者树立了重要的标杆，为读者在愈加纷繁的图书产品中指明了方向，为理想的印刷材质、吸引感官的设计和图书质量设定了基准。书籍设计评选总会突显出优胜设计与优秀装帧的特点——无论评选在中国、德国还是其他国家进行。获奖作品向人们证明，传统书媒体能达到何种境界。

And so the competition of “The Beauty of Books in China” is – like all other book competitions – an important guide not only for the producing publishers, book designers and manufacturers, but also for the readers.  It offers orientation in the ever larger range of products and sets benchmarks for the good choice of materials, appealing-sensual design and for quality standards.  Book design competitions distinguish the features of convincing design and good presentation – in China as well as in Germany and in other countries that carry out such competitions.  The honored books show examples of what the traditional medium book can accomplish.

   法兰克福与莱比锡图书艺术基金会是德国年度图书评选“德国最美的书”的主办机构，自1991年起还承办始创于1963年的“世界最美的书”国际评选。评选的核心意义在于交流与信息，涉及的内容有书籍设计、理想的版式标准、符合图书内容的设计构思、装帧与制作质量以及书籍设计与制作中遇到的现实挑战等。上述两项评选吸引着各种目标群体：首先是出版界，包括书籍设计者、出版社、印刷和装订企业等；另外还有作为公众的购书人和阅读爱好者。

In Germany it is the Stiftung Buchkunst Frankfurt am Main & Leipzig which carries out the annual book competitions.  It is in charge of the competition “Die Schönsten deutschen Bücher/The Best German Book Design” and, since 1991, the international competition “Schönsten Bücher aus aller Welt/Best Book Design from all over the World”, in existence since 1963.  The focus is mainly on exchange and information: about book design, about criteria of well readable typography, about design conception to suit the book’s contents, about attributes and manufacturing quality, and also about the current challenges in book design and book production.  Different target groups are addressed in both competitions: first of all the book and publishing industry (designers, manufacturers, printers, bookbinders, etc.), but also, as publicity events, the book buyers, the reading audience.

   中国获奖作品参加“世界最美的书”比赛为该项赛事增光添彩。这些参赛作品中渗透了中国独到、极富感染力且内容广博的图书文化。因此中国作品在历届国际比赛中表现上佳。

For “Schönsten Bücher aus aller Welt/Best Book Design from all over the World” the participation of the Chinese award-winning books is an asset.  The books from China that participate in the international competition are shaped by a unique, vigorous and rich book culture.  And so the Chinese entries in the international comparison have performed excellently.

      乌塔•施奈德女士

德国图书艺术基金会前主席

           谈“中国最美的书”

                   Ms. Uta Schneider
Former Executive Manager of
the Stiftung Buhkunst/German Book Art Foundation
on “The Beauty of Books in China”