Gent Xtra Bold

Designer

Sanny Winters

Client

Stad Gent & Uitgeverij Lannoo

Dimensions

240 × 170 × 19 mm

Material

Paper: Munken Polar Rough, hard board cover, black and white headband, red bookmark ribbon

Sanny Winters has produced a cheery, colourful book that places the city of the Arteveldes in the limelight. Via hundreds of typographical prints, she zooms in on the icons of the city of Ghent. Organized according to the alphabet, she has in her own distinctive style captured the essence of the city and its residents.

Things that the people of Ghent are proud of, turning points in the city’s history, typical customs, the most exciting spots and its principal heroes. Texts by famous Ghent residents such as Herman Brusselmans and Kadir Balci sing the city’s praises. Pascale Platel also lent a hand to capturing the mood of the city. Winters herself lives in Antwerp, but loves the positive vibe that Ghent exudes. While working on this book, she often visited Ghent just to soak in the atmosphere.

Photo Koen Broos

In her work as designer and illustrator, Winters likes to start out with clear typographical images. As she herself puts it, a reader or viewer is always attracted first by a shape or a clear use of colour – those are literally the eye-catchers. She then forces herself to strip down an image to its purest essence. Since 1997, Sanny and Tim Oeyen work as the designer duo ‘Oeyen en Winters’. In 2004 they won the Henry van de Velde Young Talent Award.