Design and Illustration @BBPlus

Recognition of the production and design work of general trade publishing is celebrated each year at BolognaBookPlus through two popular initiatives.

Jackets Off! Is a project to put design in general trade publishing at the heart of the business of books. The showcase centres around one title published across many international editions: The Great Gatsby in 2025, War and Peace in 2024, 1984 in 2023, The Handmaid’s Tale in 2022. Jackets Off! examines the different interpretations of contemporary classics across cultures and languages.

Talking Pictures is a collaboration between BolognaBookPlus, Hamelin Association and Steven Guarnaccia that explores the cultural importance and ongoing impact of the contemporary international visual book  from a selected market (Ukraine 2024, Estonia 2025). It comprises a showcase, a jury, and a seminar.