This past week Professor Catherine Ruggie Saunders received for her book, “For Love of Letterpress: A Printing Handbook for instructors and Students” the Graphic Design USA 2019 American Graphic Design Award.
Saunders is a professor of art here at Saint Xavier teaching classes in the Visual Art Center. Saunders has had a long duration here at Saint Xavier starting in the fall of 1983. For nearly thirty years Saunders has instructed the students of the Saint Xavier community.
Saunders did not work alone as she partnered with a fellow professor of art and graphic designer Marth Chiplis. Chiplis comes from serving the Art Institute of Chicago.
Saunders and Chiplis had more input into the publication than expected according to the SXU professor. Saunders said of the construction process.
“Usually a publisher wants their own design staff to layout the book, but for both editions, Bloomsbury of London trusted us, as artists and designers, to do it ourselves.”
It appears her publishers enjoyed the work she did as she continued this thought by saying:
“When we approached the publisher in 2017 to ask if they would be interested in having us update the text with a second edition, they agreed.”
When asked Saunders said she felt honored, but at the same time felt humbled after receiving this award for her literature. According to Saunders the Graphic Design USA, the competition organizers, receive thousands of entries submitted.
“Exceptionally honored, but also humbled. With 10,000 entries submitted and only 10% chosen, there must have been many equally excellent projects?”
The edition that Saunders and her co-writer submitted to the competition was the second edition of their book. This second edition took years of revisions, additions, and calls to complete. What Saunders said about the process was:
“The second edition took about two years to revise the first edition, add chapters for the new edition, design, work through approvals with our London publisher, post calls for submissions worldwide, and jury them.”
When asked what made their work stand out amongst the thousands of submissions Saunders had this to say.
“Since this award honors the layout, typographic choices, photographs, printing quality, and overall design of the book, it must have stood out on those merits.”
This is not the first time that Saunders has partaken in this competition by Graphic Design USA. Back in 2014 the first copy of “For Love of Letterpress: A Printing Handbook for instructors and Students” was submitted into the competition. In the 2014 competition, there were close around 8,000 submissions. Just like in 2019 the first edition of her publication was chosen in the top 10%
Saunders was asked if she would implement anything from her book into the teaching style that she was currently using. Interestingly, Saunders said that she was doing it the other way around.
“It was actually the reverse: my teaching style is what gave me the confidence to write the book. If I could communicate my knowledge and passion for this media in the studio classroom, then perhaps I could use “that voice” to author a book.”
Saunders feels a great happiness over contributing to the education of so many artists and designers.
“My teaching philosophy has always been one of wanting to inspire and share my love of this media with students. I do every semester at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The book permits my colleague and I to do it on an international basis now as well! Very rewarding!”
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