The Taiwan Pavilion at the Guadalajara International Book Fair in Mexico has captured an award for best design, an honor bestowed on the opening day of the world's largest book fair for Spanish readers.
Under the banner of "Open Taiwan," the pavilion adopted a sunny yellow hue to promote a vivacious cast of animal characters from the books of illustrator Lee Chin-lun (李瑾倫), this year's featured Taiwan author and an aficionado of furry household companions. The pavilion's main visual installation promoted Lee's picture book "Spit the Seeds," in which a young piglet becomes worried about the possibility of swallowed fruit pits sprouting inside his body.
Per tradition, a judge panel surveys each pavilion on the opening day of the Guadalajara book fair, awarding points for aesthetics, spatial design, originality, application of colors, practicality, and user experience.
Lauding the Taiwan Pavilion for its unsurpassed quality in planning and execution, the judge panel released a statement naming joyful colors, cozy reading spaces, and a seamless balance of visual and intellectual stimulation as key reasons for bestowing the award.
Guadalajara offers five pavilion design awards — platinum for large-sized pavilions, gold for mid-sized pavilions, silver for small-sized pavilions, bronze for micro displays, and green for eco-friendly showcases. The small-sized Taiwan Pavilion garnered silver this year.
The platinum award went to Argentina, gold for Germany, bronze for a joint pavilion by Columbian publishers, and green for Mexican publisher Porrua's innovative use of kraft paper.
Amidst the celebrations led by a traditional Mariachi band performing inside the book fair, all five pavilion winners received a handcrafted ceramic plate made in the Mexican region of Zapopan.
More information on Taiwan’s participation at this year's Guadalajara fair can be found here.