CONTACT: 

Mark Kuyper, ECPA President/CEO

480-966-3998 ext. 210

mkuyper@ecpa.org

December 2, 2010—Phoenix, Arizona—The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) announce nine finalists for the 2010 ECPA | dp Book Cover Award.  These annual awards, co-sponsored by Dickinson Press, recognize the industry’s most effective book designs; those whose design elements most accurately reflect the title’s targeted consumer group.

Judging criteria is based strictly on research measuring consumer book-buying motivations conducted by the Research Institute for Social Change (RISC).  RISC director Rick Hamm serves as the judging manager of the ECPA | dp Book Cover Award program, which continues to serve as an educational tool for publishers and designers in Christian publishing.

The following are the nine finalists in three categories for the 2010 ECPA | dp Book Cover Award program, with links to each cover image:

SMALL-SIZED PUBLISHER CATEGORY

MID-SIZED PUBLISHER CATEGORY

  • Buddhism by Keith Yandell and Harold Netland (InterVarsity Press) 9780830838554
    Cindy Kiple, Designer

  • 52 Things Kids Need From a Dad by Jay Payleitner (Harvest House Publishers) 9780736927239
    e210 Design, Designer

  • The Art of Dying by Rob Moll (InterVarsity Press) 9780830837366
    Cindy Kiple, Designer

LARGE PUBLISHER CATEGORY

  • An Amish Christmas by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller and Barbara Cameron (Thomas Nelson) 9781595548214
    James Hall, Designer; Kristen Vasgaard, Art Director

  • Edge of Apocalypse  by Tim LaHaye and Craig Parshall (Zondervan) 9780310326281
    Curt Diepenhorst, Designer

  • Searching For God Knows What by Donald Miller (Thomas Nelson) 9781400202751
    James Hall, Designer; Belinda Bass, Art Director

One winner from each category will be officially announced and analyzed on December 14 in an online Design Forum hosted by Rick Hamm, manager of the RISC consumer research.  Hamm will discuss each winner’s success in matching targeted consumer profiles with design elements such as composition, images, font treatment, color palette and title.  This free webinar is open to all who wish to be better informed and equipped at producing more on-target materials for their intended audience. Registration required.

The ECPA | dp Book Cover Award program was launched in 2007, developed out of a 2006 study commissioned by Dickinson Press and conducted by Marshall Marketing, utilizing the RISC system to help Christian publishers develop and design more on-target products.  Subsequent research was performed in 2008 and new information will be reported in early 2011.

ECPA President Mark Kuyper lauds the importance of the annual program: “Because book cover design is a proven key motivation in book buying, this program honors and recognizes the most effective covers, while further educating publishing and design professionals on how to intentionally and intelligently connect transformational content to their intended audience.”

The 2010 finalist covers are featured on the ECPA web site. For more information about the program, visit www.ecpa.org/bookcoveraward.

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The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international non-profit trade organization, comprised of over 150 member companies worldwide, representing a combined revenue of nearly $2 billion. Founded in 1974, ECPA is dedicated to serving the Christian publishing industry through equipping its members through cutting-edge technology, meaningful data, dynamic educational opportunities and unprecedented access to markets. For more information about ECPA, visit www.ecpa.org or contact 480-966-3998 or info@ecpa.org.