Gold Ink Awards, print production, print quality

By Matt Steinmetz

The Gold Ink Awards Judges

Charles Ault has worked in publishing for more than 25 years as a writer, editor and production manager. His writings have appeared in major metropolitan newspapers and his editing of a Pulitzer Prize-winning biography was hailed as “one of the most dramatic instances of an editorial rescue operation in the annals of university press publishing.”

His work in production has included stints as an apprentice Linotype operator, a production supervisor for typehouses serving the Hollywood advertising industry, and a production coordinator for the fine art and archeology program at Princeton University Press. He has supervised the production of more than two dozen museum-quality illustrated books, including two National Gold Ink Award winners and an AIGA selection.

Brenda Barozzi joined FCB Direct in 1998 as a senior production manager, after 8+ years at Showtime Networks/Viacom. In 2000, Barozzi became vice president/manager of direct production for FCB. Two years later, she was named director of print production to oversee the unification of two FCB production departments: the direct and general agency. In her current role, she directs what has become a fully integrated team, producing the complete spectrum of work for both the direct and general agency. In 2006, Barozzi was appointed to manage the new, combined DRAFTFCB Production group.

Kristina Cunillera is a manufacturing specialist who has worked with some of the largest publishing houses in New York and Philadelphia, including Gruner + Jahr, Hachette Filipacchi and Haymarket Media. Currently, she is the journals production manager for Wolters Kluwer Health’s Philadelphia office. She is also a volunteer for the Postal Customer’s Council.

Dawn Flook has worked in both the catalog and magazine markets and has 20+ years of print production experience. As director of production at Lorel Marketing Group, Flook oversees the internal prepress and production processes to ensure production of the highest quality that is both timely and within budget. Additionally, Flook has spoken at several Direct Mail Association conferences and has written numerous articles on print production.

Harris Fogel is an associate professor of photography, and director of the Sol Mednick Gallery and Gallery 1401, in the Media Arts Department at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He teaches photography and digital imaging, with an emphasis on color management, and the transition from screen to print. Fogel is also the creator of MacEditionRadio.com, which provides in-depth discussions and reviews of technology, photography and digital imaging, including prepress.

Matthew Hollerbush is a photographer, educator and fine artist. He is a senior lecturer at the University of the Arts and teaches advanced photography at the Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial in Philadelphia. He is an award-winning commercial photographer, creating images for both magazines and advertising.

Melissa Jacobson is the production and sales assistant at Quirk Books in Philadelphia. In 2008, she received her MFA in Book Arts/Printmaking from The University of the Arts where she developed the Institute for the Study of Others. Jacobson continues to lend a helping hand in the ISO in her spare time as the purveyor of Conchurllan artifacts.

Nicole Koenitzer is a graphic artist and an inventive painter. A graphic arts graduate of Rutgers University, her work with mixed media has been exhibited across Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York. She currently works as a print and Web designer for Edmund Optics, while freelancing in her spare time under her own brand, Koartpro. She also serves as an interactive co-chair on the board of AIGA Philadelphia.

Traci L. Lucien has spent over two decades working in the Publications Group at AARP. As vice president of publication operations, Lucien is responsible for making certain that approximately 24 million issues of the publication arrive in members’ mail boxes each month. Additionally, she directs the Advertising Resources & Policies, Manufacturing and Distribution of AARP The Magazine, AARP Bulletin and AARP Segunda Juventud. She serves on both the AARP and the Publications Group Leadership teams.

Jim Malloy is a graphic designer at K’nex brands, where he works on a variety of toy packaging and marketing materials. Prior to K’nex, Malloy served as the art director for Kappa Publishing, overseeing the layout and production of several national publications such as The Ring and Games magazine.

John J. McGurk is production manager at Quirk Books in Philadelphia. He previously worked for 11 years as an editor, designer, art director and production manager for James Publishing in Costa Mesa, Calif.

Gina Montemurro is the group production director for Target Marketing, Catalog Success, Fundraising Success and Inside Direct Mail magazines at North American Publishing Co. (NAPCO), where she oversees a team of production managers.

Gretchen Morris is director of global catalog production for Edmund Optics Inc., where she supervises worldwide catalog operations, including 10 titles in four languages with an annual distribution of more than 2.5 million. She manages a design and production team, which creates all of the company’s marketing collateral, in addition to catalog creation.

Robin Norman is production manager for The Jewish Publication Society, where she manages design and production services for all titles. She previously was employed with the Chilton Publishing Company for 23 years.

Dorlisa Goodrich Young is a group production director with NAPCO. In addition to managing the workflow of two production managers, she currently oversees the production of Printing Impressions and In-Plant Graphics magazines. Prior to joining NAPCO, she worked at Essence Communications Inc., publisher of Essence and Dow Jones & Co.

Widely regarded as the print industry’s most prestigious event, the 2009 Gold Ink Awards received more than 1,000 entries across 45 competitive categories, including Book Covers, Book Jackets, Books (Fine Editions), Softcover Books, Hardcover Books, Children’s Books, Fine Art Lithography, Cookbooks, to name a few. In all, 132 entries were selected for Gold, Silver or Bronze honors.

Now in its 22nd year, the Gold Ink Awards were judged over a four-day span by 15 print veterans touting diverse backgrounds. (See the sidebar for more about the judges.)

This year’s esteemed crop of judges was particularly impressed by the quality and competitiveness of the Cookbooks category.

“This is the toughest category for photography and reproduction,” observed Matthew Hollerbush, a professional photographer and veteran of Gold Ink judging. “Our decisions came down to how appetizing the food looked via color balance, correctness, accuracy.”

The Gold award went to “Barbeque,” published by ACP Books and printed by C&C Offset Printing Co.

“[‘Barbeque’s] strongly executed package [was] an excellent example of flexibind paired with deliciously printed photography,” said first-year judge Melissa Jacobson, production and sales assistant for Quirk Books.

The Fine Editions category warranted a great deal of deliberation by the judges as well. The Gold honor was awarded to “Olympic on Paper,” which was also printed by C&C Offset Printing Co.

“From the hand-tied closures and the pouch design of the cover, this product glowed with attention to detail and a respect for the materials,” remarked Harris Fogel, associate professor of photography, and director of the Sol Mednick Gallery and Gallery 1401, in the Media Arts Department at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. “The printing, interleaving and lushness of the design and print was clear from start to finish.”

“The overall quality and excellence of our Gold Ink Award submissions never ceases to impress our staff and judges, and the 22nd year of the awards was no exception,” said Mark Hertzog, vice president/group publisher of Book Business and Publishing Executive, which run the Gold Ink Awards. “We are continually in awe of the superior work done by those publishers and printers who continue to produce the finest print products in the world, and we look forward to celebrating their excellence for many more years.”

The staff of Book Business congratulates the many deserving printers, publishers and other constituents who are once again being recognized for their fine work in this year’s competition, and thanks all of the entrants and judges who continue to make the Gold Ink Awards the industry’s most prestigious print competition.

Winners of the 2009 Gold Ink Awards will be recognized at the Gold Ink Awards Banquet on Monday, Sept. 14 in Chicago during Print ’09.

Cover Story: 2009 Gold Ink Awards