SAN LUIS OBISPO – Cal Poly Graphic Communication students won three out of seven prizes in the 2005 Bookbuilders West book design competition in San Francisco. Nick Bernal was awarded the Steve Renick Memorial Award from UC Press for his project. The $1,000 award was presented at the 2005 Bookbuilders Scholarship fundraiser in San Francisco on June 25. Bernal won for his design of “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley. His project included a leather bound handmade book with a relief stitched into the hard cover. The book was carefully designed and produced as a project in Assistant Professor Lorraine Donegan’s Book Design Technology course (GrC 439). Two other Cal Poly students, Jaime Merz and Tiffany Mine, were also honored for their book designs. Merz and Mine each received a $500 Honorable Mention in the competition. Merz won for her design of "To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. Her book included a leather bound cover with a handmade birdhouse to hold the book. An imprint of a custom-designed stamp of a bird can be seen through a peephole in the birdhouse. She designed and built the birdhouse with her father. “I enjoyed every step of the process,” said Merz. “We used to work on things together all the time and it was fun to work with him on this part of the project.” Tiffany Mine’s book, "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan, was encased in handmade Chinese paper and laid into a basket with Mah Jong tiles. Mine is interning for Harcourt Publishers in San Diego. Student competitors were asked to select and redesign a classic book. Their page designs had to include layout and typography; the cover designs had to convey the author’s intent and the atmosphere and content of the story. Industry professionals judged the entries on creativity, meeting design objectives and presentation. “Our student projects are always wonderful, and how the judges actually choose the winning designs is amazing – they’re all so wonderful! Each student puts their heart and soul into their book, designing every last detail,” said Donegan. Donegan says that the book design project brings together technical and creative knowledge the students learn in their classes. “Within the Graphic Communication department, the book design class is one of the Capstone courses offered for students concentrating on design reproduction technology,” she said. Malcom Keif, acting department head of the Graphic Communication Department is proud of the work the students and faculty are doing. “Cal Poly’s success in the Bookbuilders West competition over several years is a testament to the level work Professor Donegan and her students produce and the outstanding instruction being provided,” said Keif.