Massey book designers have hand in royal gifts

Tuesday 8 May 2018

Three books, part of a selection given by the Government to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge following the birth of Prince Louis, were designed by College of Creative Arts staff Anna Brown and Jo Bailey.

Massey book designers have hand in royal gifts - image1

The three books produced by Massey University design studio Open Lab that were among a selection of children’s books gifted by the Government to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge following the birth of Prince Louis.

Last updated: Friday 26 August 2022

Three books, part of a selection given by the Government to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge following the birth of Prince Louis, were designed by College of Creative Arts staff Anna Brown and Jo Bailey.

Known as board books or art books for young readers, each book in the series provides children up to three years of age with an immersive experience of New Zealand art, plus a fun and educational reading time in te reo Māori and English.

Produced by Te Papa Press, My New Zealand ABC Book, My New Zealand 123 Book and My New Zealand Colours Book, feature interesting paintings, sculptures, photographs and objects from the museum’s collection allowing toddlers and families to explore the national art collection at home.

Ms Brown is editorial chair of Massey University Press which provides the publishing infrastructure that enables Te Papa Press to publish books under its own imprint. She is also the director of the University’s enterprise design studio Open Lab.

The books are themed around letters, numbers and colours, allowing parents and teachers to read the books with children in a myriad of different ways – focusing on the artworks, practising counting, letters or colour recognition or simply enjoying the quirky combinations of language and image.

“From the old favourites to the less familiar delights, our approach was to let the pages be filled with the collection pieces, using bold colours inspired by the work to complement and showcase them,” Ms Brown says.

“As well as working with a fantastic team from Te Papa, a highlight was getting to hear what children thought of some of the test pages. Seeing the books through their eyes helped us pick the images that delighted both the junior readers and their grown-up narrators!”

Ms Bailey says since their publication, it has been lovely to get feedback from parents for whose children the books are firm favourites.

“Everyone remembers Prince William with the Buzzy Bee. It’s nice to think of the next generation of royals getting a glimpse of Aotearoa through our art and language in these books.”

Massey University also had a hand in another of the official presents gifted to the baby prince, with textile design graduate Christine Brimer weaving a New Zealand wool baby blanket for the royal family’s newest member.