Alison Forbes (born 1933) is an Australian book designer and illustrator. Over a period of five decades she has worked as Australia's "first full-time independent book designer"[1] and produced many prize-winning book designs of Australian titles, beginning with Alan Marshall's I Can Jump Puddles (1955).[2][3][4]
In 1963 she travelled to London and during the next three years and in order to gain book trade experience, she worked for two British publishers, the Associated Book Publishers (a conglomerate of Methuen, Eyre & Spottiswoode, and others) and the smaller Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd.[3]
She has devoted herself to book design work, her focus being to create an "enduring body of work unique in its quality, and quantity"[2] and was not tempted by the higher financial rewards on offer in "commercial graphic design or advertising"[2] with the inevitable compromises demanded in those fields. The poet and critic Max Harris, who had worked with her on several projects, stated: "The meticulous Alison Forbes hasn’t lost her advanced and distinctive sense of the highest design principles".[2]
Awardsedit
1955: Australian Book Publishers Association (ABPA) Books of the Year award, for book design of Alan Marshall's I Can Jump Puddles, Melbourne: F. W. Cheshire, 1955;[2] Cleveland and New York: The World Publishing Company, 1956
1989: Australian Book Publishers Association's inaugural Award of Honour "for her continued and outstanding contribution to Australian book design and production"[2]
2018: Australian Book Designers Association Hall of Fame[5]
In addition to those mentioned in the Awards section above, the hundreds[6] of books designed or illustrated by Alison Forbes, many of which "occupy a most significant position within the development of Australian culture",[6] have included:
Ronald M. Berndt and E. S. Phillips, The Australian Aboriginal Heritage: An Introduction through the Arts, Sydney: Australian Society for Education Through the Arts in association with Ure Smith, Sydney, 1973.
Stanley Breeden and Kay Breeden, Australia's North, Collins, 1975 (A Natural History of Australia, Volume Three).
Russel Ward, The Australian Legend, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1978.
Geoffrey Serle, Robin Boyd: A Life, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1995.
Referencesedit
^ abcJane Sullivan, "Turning Pages: The brilliant career of Alison Forbes, designer". The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 May 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
^ abcdefghiAlison Forbes 2016, agda.com.au. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
^ abcdefghRecollection | Alison Forbes, recollection.com.au. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
^Forbes inducted into ABDA hall of fame, booksandpublishing.com.au, 22 May 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
^Hall of Fame – Australian Book Designers Association, abda.com.au. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
^ abcDIA – Hall of Fame 2022 inductees announced, archipro.com.au. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
^Picnic At Hanging Rock – Joan Lindsay 1967 – F. W. Cheshire, rarebooksaustralia.com. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
Further readingedit
Pamela Ruskin, "She makes sure her book world is good looking. Alison Forbes: artist behind many authors", The Age, "The Designers" (series), 26 June 1976, p. 16.
External linksedit
Gallery of Alison Forbes book cover designs at design.org.au
Alison Forbes (listing) at Design & Art Australia Online
Books with contributions by Alison Forbes at Trove Australia
This article needs additional or more specific categories. Please help out by adding categories to it so that it can be listed with similar articles.(June 2023)
April 11, 2024
alison, forbes, born, 1933, australian, book, designer, illustrator, over, period, five, decades, worked, australia, first, full, time, independent, book, designer, produced, many, prize, winning, book, designs, australian, titles, beginning, with, alan, marsh. Alison Forbes born 1933 is an Australian book designer and illustrator Over a period of five decades she has worked as Australia s first full time independent book designer 1 and produced many prize winning book designs of Australian titles beginning with Alan Marshall s I Can Jump Puddles 1955 2 3 4 Contents 1 Career 2 Awards 3 Bibliography 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksCareer editForbes was born in Melbourne in 1933 2 and attended Camberwell Grammar School 3 She studied design at the Melbourne Technical College now Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology After graduation in 1953 3 she worked at the Melbourne Herald while undertaking freelance illustration and book design in her free hours 3 At the age of 23 she was appointed as the first staff designer at the Melbourne University Press 2 In 1963 she travelled to London and during the next three years and in order to gain book trade experience she worked for two British publishers the Associated Book Publishers a conglomerate of Methuen Eyre amp Spottiswoode and others and the smaller Rupert Hart Davis Ltd 3 Returning to Australia in 1967 she worked for five decades as a full time book designer until her retirement from full time design in about 2005 2 Over the years she worked alongside such major figures in the Australian publishing world as Frank Eyre Oxford University Press Melbourne Andrew Fabinyi F W Cheshire Max Harris Sun Books Gwyn James Melbourne University Press Lloyd O Neil Sam Ure Smith Sydney Ure Smith and Ken Wilder William Collins Melbourne She has devoted herself to book design work her focus being to create an enduring body of work unique in its quality and quantity 2 and was not tempted by the higher financial rewards on offer in commercial graphic design or advertising 2 with the inevitable compromises demanded in those fields The poet and critic Max Harris who had worked with her on several projects stated The meticulous Alison Forbes hasn t lost her advanced and distinctive sense of the highest design principles 2 Awards edit1955 Australian Book Publishers Association ABPA Books of the Year award for book design of Alan Marshall s I Can Jump Puddles Melbourne F W Cheshire 1955 2 Cleveland and New York The World Publishing Company 1956 c 1963 Australian Book Review Transfield Book Production Award for book design of Alexandra Hasluck s Remembered With Affection Melbourne Oxford University Press 1963 3 1968 Transfield Book Production Award for The Land that Waited by Max Harris and Alison Forbes Melbourne Lansdowne Press 1968 3 1974 75 Australian Publishers Association s Book of the Year Award for book design of Allan McEvey s John Cotton s Birds of the Port Phillip District of New South Wales 1843 1849 Sydney William Collins 1974 3 1989 Australian Book Publishers Association s inaugural Award of Honour for her continued and outstanding contribution to Australian book design and production 2 2018 Australian Book Designers Association Hall of Fame 5 2022 Design Institute of Australia Hall of Fame 6 Bibliography editIn addition to those mentioned in the Awards section above the hundreds 6 of books designed or illustrated by Alison Forbes many of which occupy a most significant position within the development of Australian culture 6 have included Robin Boyd The Australian Ugliness Melbourne F W Cheshire 1960 1 Hume Dow and John Barnes eds World Unknown An Anthology of Australian Prose Melbourne Oxford University Press 1964 Michael Cannon The Land Boomers Melbourne University Press 1966 Judith Wright The Generations of Men Melbourne Oxford University Press 1967 Joan Lindsay Picnic at Hanging Rock Melbourne F W Cheshire 1967 1 7 Ulli Beier and Albert Maori Kiki Hohao The Uneasy Survival of an Art Form in the Papuan Gulf Melbourne Thomas Nelson Australia 1970 Ronald M Berndt and E S Phillips The Australian Aboriginal Heritage An Introduction through the Arts Sydney Australian Society for Education Through the Arts in association with Ure Smith Sydney 1973 Stanley Breeden and Kay Breeden Australia s North Collins 1975 A Natural History of Australia Volume Three Russel Ward The Australian Legend Melbourne Oxford University Press 1978 Bernard Smith and Alwyne C Wheeler eds The Art of the First Fleet and Other Early Australian Drawings Melbourne Oxford University Press 1988 New Haven Yale University Press in association with the Australian Academy of the Humanities and the British Museum Natural History 1988 Geoffrey Serle Robin Boyd A Life Melbourne Oxford University Press 1995 References edit a b c Jane Sullivan Turning Pages The brilliant career of Alison Forbes designer The Sydney Morning Herald 18 May 2018 Retrieved 27 May 2018 a b c d e f g h i Alison Forbes 2016 agda com au Retrieved 18 June 2023 a b c d e f g h Recollection Alison Forbes recollection com au Retrieved 18 June 2023 Forbes inducted into ABDA hall of fame booksandpublishing com au 22 May 2018 Retrieved 18 June 2023 Hall of Fame Australian Book Designers Association abda com au Retrieved 18 June 2023 a b c DIA Hall of Fame 2022 inductees announced archipro com au Retrieved 18 June 2023 Picnic At Hanging Rock Joan Lindsay 1967 F W Cheshire rarebooksaustralia com Retrieved 18 June 2023 Further reading editPamela Ruskin She makes sure her book world is good looking Alison Forbes artist behind many authors The Age The Designers series 26 June 1976 p 16 External links editGallery of Alison Forbes book cover designs at design org au Alison Forbes listing at Design amp Art Australia Online Books with contributions by Alison Forbes at Trove Australia This article needs additional or more specific categories Please help out by adding categories to it so that it can be listed with similar articles June 2023 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Alison Forbes amp oldid 1214607205, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
