The Designer Studio @BBPlus

The Designer Studio made its debut in BolognaBookPlus in 2026. It is a new programme 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, developed by BolognaBookPlus 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. The programme 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.

Among the2026 guests were illustrators Pablo Amargo, Jon Gray, Lorenzo Mattotti, and Riccardo Vecchio, numerous art directors and graphic designers, including DJ Stout (Pentagram), Cecilia Flegenheimer (Mondadori), and Stefano Cipolla (L’Espresso).

The programme is enriched by a series of exhibitions, including Jackets OFF!, which since 2021 has compared book covers from different countries, and in 2026 was 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.

Also hosted was an 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.

A preview of the solo exhibition Balbusso Twins: Illustrating with Two Souls, showcased in the Designer Studio in 2026,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 catalogue, 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 catalogue. 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.