The Designer Studio @BBPlus

Within Bologna Book Plus, the Designer Studio makes its debut: a new program dedicated to art direction, editorial graphic design, and non-children’s illustration, conceived to enhance the dialogue between visual design and the general trade publishing market.

A project developed by BBPlus and curated by Mimaster Illustrazione, the Designer Studio further expands the cultural and professional offering for the Fair’s audience, featuring a program of masterclasses, workshops, and portfolio reviews led by a distinguished lineup of internationally renowned art directors, graphic designers and illustrators.

Among the guests will be illustrators Pablo Amargo, Jon Gray, Lorenzo Mattotti, and Riccardo Vecchio. There will also be numerous art directors and graphic designers, including DJ Stout (Pentagram), Cecilia Flegenheimer (Mondadori), and Stefano Cipolla (L’Espresso).

It will also be the perfect venue to welcome this year’s BBPlus Illustration Ambassador, Mari Kanstad Johnsen, who will host a series of talks and workshops throughout the duration of the fair.

In this first edition, the program focuses on the role of the book cover as a product of visual design and a marketing tool, through masterclasses that explore its identity both from a historical perspective and in contemporary practice. In addition, a series of workshops will actively involve designers and illustrators attending the Fair in the processes of creating and developing a book cover for publishing.

The program is enriched by a series of exhibitions, including Jackets OFF!, which since 2021 has compared book covers from different countries and this year is dedicated to the queen of crime fiction, Agatha Christie, with a special section highlights Ferenc Pintér’s

iconic illustrations created for the Mondadori covers from the 1980s and 1990s.

Fifty years after Agatha Christie’s death, the Jackets OFF! exhibition showcases international book covers reimagining classics such as The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Death on the Nile, and And Then There Were None. Designers from around the world reinterpret her stories across cultures, creating a rich visual journey.

Also arriving exclusively at the Designer Studio—and for the first time outside the United States—is the exhibition dedicated to the Gold and Silver Medal winners in the book section of the Annual Illustration Competition for the 2022–2026 five-year period, one of the most prestigious awards organized by the Society of Illustrators of New York. For over six decades, the Society of Illustrators’ Annual of American Illustration has recognized the most accomplished work created each year across publishing, editorial, advertising, and institutional media.
The thirty medal-winning pieces showcased at BCBF explore themes from personal history to social issues and, through a broad range of genres and techniques, reflect the evolving language of the illustrated book as well as its powerful ways to communicate complex ideas. The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of related activities, including talks and guided tours.

The program also launches with a preview of the solo exhibition Balbusso Twins: Illustrating with Two Souls, featuring a selection of illustration, art, and design works that recount 25 years of the professional journey of the Italian artistic duo Anna and Elena Balbusso, also known as the Balbusso Twins.
The international design firm Pentagram designed the exhibition catalog, Balbusso Twins: Illustrating with Two Souls, conceived as an extension of the exhibition itself. Pentagram Partner DJ Stout and Associate Partner Davian-Lynn Hopkins of the Pentagram Austin office led the design effort of the catalog. Produced in collaboration with the Society of Illustrators, the catalog serves as both a record of the exhibition and a standalone publication of the Balbusso Twins' work. The catalog presents the Balbusso Twins’ work in a format that balances clarity and narrative, with thoughtful typography and pacing, guiding readers through the imagery.