Immediate Release — November 7, 2017

ECPA ANNOUNCES THE BEST BOOK DESIGNS OF THE YEAR

Eighteen titles awarded the Top Shelf Book Cover Design Award

Media contact: Stan Jantz, Executive Director, ECPA, 480-966-3998 sjantz@ecpa.org

November 7, 2017, Nashville, Tenn. – ECPA announced the winners of the 2017 Top Shelf Book Cover Awards today at Lipscomb University during the opening session of ECPA PubU. PubU keynote speaker GABE LYONS announced the winning covers among the nearly 250 Christian publishing professionals gathered for the event. Renown Nashville-based letterpress printers, Hatch Show Print created a custom edition show print for each winner.

Judges chose 16 books, 1 Bible, and a book of Psalms to represent the year’s best designs, including two books on Charles Spurgeon (his devotions and sermons) and even a Political Science textbook.

“The Top Shelf award program continues to honor and celebrate art, design, and creativity in Christian publishing,” states Stan Jantz, ECPA executive director. “The caliber of these winning designs is testament to the extreme talent and expertise in our industry.”

Announcing the winners of the 2017 Top Shelf Book Cover Award
(Click on title links to view large cover image. Listed in order as pictured above, left to right.)

The Decalogue
Author: David L. Baker
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Designer: David Fassett, Art Director

Recapturing the Wonder
Author: Mike Cosper
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Designer: David Fassett, Art Director

Morning and Evening, Updated Edition
Author: Charles Spurgeon
Publisher: Discovery House (Our Daily Bread Ministries)
Designer: Jeff Miller, Faceout Studio

Not Yet Married
Author: Marshall Segal
Publisher: Crossway
Designer: Tim Green, Faceout Studio

A Little Book on the Christian Life
Translated and Edited by Aaron Denlinger and Burk Parsons
Publisher: Reformation Trust Publishing
Designer: Metaleap Creative

The Lost Sermons of C.H. Spurgeon Volume I Collector’s Edition
Author: Christian T. George
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
Designer: Christopher Stewart
Jade Novak, Art Director

At Home in the World
Author: Tsh Oxenreider
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Designer: Connie Gabbert

The She Reads Truth Bible (CSB)
Editors: Raechel Myers and Amanda Bible Williams
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
Ryan Myers, Creative Director
Amanda Barnhart, Art Director

God Is
Author: Mark Jones
Publisher: Crossway
Designer: Jorge Canedo Estrada

Whole
Author: Steve Wiens
Publisher: NavPress (Tyndale House Publishers)
Designer: Daniel Farrell
Dean Renninger, Sr. Art Director

The Evaporation of Sofi Snow
Author: Mary Weber
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Designer: Tim Green, Faceout Studio
Kristen Ingebretson, Sr. Art Director

Pierced and Embraced
Author: Kelli Worrall
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Designer: Erik M. Peterson, Creative Director

Introduction to Political Science
Author: Fred Van Geest
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Designer: David Fassett, Art Director

The Biggest Story ABC
Author: Kevin DeYoung
Publisher: Crossway
Illustrated by Don Clark

12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You
Author: Tony Reinke
Publisher: Crossway
Cover and Wooden Character Design: Don Clark for Invisible Creature
Wooden Character Fabrication: Curt Clark

A Layman Looks at the Lord’s Prayer
Author: W. Phillip Keller
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Designer: Erik M. Peterson, Creative Director

Embodied Hope
Author: Kelly Kapic
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Designer: David Fassett, Art Director

The Book of Psalms for Creative Journaling: KJV
Author: Ellie Claire
Publisher: Worthy Publishing Group
Designer: Melissa Reagan

Each year, esteemed creative directors in the publishing industry are invited to serve as judges. This year’s judges were:

Will Staehle was Art Director for HarperCollins Publishers in NY, the VP of Design at JibJab in LA, and has been labeled by Print Magazine as one of the Top Twenty Under Thirty New Visual Artists.
Maria Lindenfeldar was named Creative Director at Princeton University Press in 2016 after working as a book designer/art director for 15 years.
Don Clark is founder of Invisible Creature (IC), a multi-disciplinary design and illustration studio based out of Seattle, Washington.

Winning book covers are featured at TopShelfAwards.org and in a print annual printed by Color House Graphics and distributed to the industry. Contact ECPA for copies.

Program information, including judge bios and future submission information, can be found on the ECPA website.

The submission period for the 2018 Top Shelf Design Awards will open January 2, 2018.

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ECPA | The Top Shelf Award program is managed by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) in order to recognize design excellence in the Christian publishing industry. The membership of ECPA is made up of Christian publishers and companies providing services to the Christian publishing industry. Since 1974, ECPA has strengthened Christian publishing by building Networking, Information, and Advocacy opportunities within the industry and across multiple channels so that our members can more effectively produce and deliver transformational Christian content. Through programs, events, communications, recognition and research, ECPA strengthens publishing communities within the industry. The ECPA Design E-Community, PubU Design training sessions, and Top Shelf Awards are among several ECPA-driven opportunities that designers have to network, stay informed, and be recognized within the industry. For more information on ECPA programs and membership, visit ECPA.org or contact us at info@ecpa.org.

Color House Graphics | Color House Graphics is a book manufacturing company that exists to help publishers, authors and companies create and deliver great books. CHG has been servicing the Christian publishing industry for many years. We combine craftsmanship with technology to help our customers create, print and publish great books. Explore our website or contact us and discover how we can provide you with superior service and quality from your first contact to delivery of your books. For more information about Color House Graphics, you can find us at colorhousegraphics.com or contact us at info@colorhousegraphics.com.

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As per Top Shelf program policy, if a judge’s work is submitted by the publisher to the program then that judge is recused from the judging process on that work, and the remaining judges’ scores are used.

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