We are so proud of our wonderful team here at Wakefields Digital, this award is really a testament to them.

The Supreme award is for a book called Christchurch Town Hall: A Conservation Story. It covers the refurbishment of the Christchurch Town Hall from 2015 to 2019.

Our client is MomentoPro, and the designer and Photographer of the Book is Olivia Spencer Bower of Christchurch. Olivia documented the refurbishment and rebuilding of the heritage building from the start of the project to completion. Her work recorded its transformation from an earthquake-damaged state into a fully repaired venue for the performing arts. Olivia supplemented her monthly records with time-lapse cameras located at strategic points around the complex.

What the judges said:

Pride In Print Judges said the glossy, limited edition, hand-finished case bound book “blew them away” with its craftsmanship and perfect centre spreads throughout.

Johnny McHarg, Pride In Print judge, said, “The stunning photography in the book and the number of centre spreads, or crossovers that had been perfectly executed, was astounding. The complexity of these crossovers, and there are so many of them, that are 100 per cent perfect is very difficult to achieve. Some of them are next level.

“This is a standout entry and miles ahead of every other print finishing job that we looked at. It is spectacular.”

Another judge, Steve Watson called the book a thing of beauty. He said, “What blew us away when we started going through the book (at judging) were those crossovers. A lot of them were like a single leaf, all the way through the book.

“The book is tightly sewn which allows the line-ups and folding to give that effect, which came in page after page. Most judges have seen thousands of crossovers in their careers but never anything like the quality of this. This book is special.”