Canada’s Presence as the Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2020
Mar 6, 2019
Announcement of the Visual Identity
Toronto, March 6, 2019 – Today, Canada FBM2020 is officially revealing the visual identity that will signify Canada’s presence as the Guest of Honour country at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2020. Canada FBM2020 is an organization working in close collaboration with key partners in the Canadian government and the book industry to deliver the major elements of the Guest of Honour program.
The Visual Identity
Following a public call for tenders issued in 2018, the mandate to design a visual identity for Canada’s presence as the Guest of Honour country at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2020 was entrusted to Montreal’s Studio July (Stéphanie Malak, MarieHélène Rodriguez, Samuel Larocque and Emanuel Cohen). At the same time, Canada FBM2020 established a Brand Image Committee to monitor this process and inspire a creative, inclusive approach to the project. This group, made up of representatives from the Frenchlanguage, English-language and Indigenous publishing communities as well as the broader cultural sector, was tasked with ensuring that the visual identity would convey the country’s stories, both past and present, as well as its diversity and distinctive character. With the support of the project’s key collaborators in its reflection and creative endeavour, Studio July produced the slogan “Singular, Plural.” This visual identity makes direct reference to the world of words and to the country’s dynamic nature in promoting Canada’s presence as Guest of Honour at Frankfurt in 2020 on the national and international markets.
2019 Edition of the Frankfurt Book Fair
The official unveiling of the visual identity to the international market will take place at Frankfurt during the 2019 edition of the book fair. Typically, the media conference announcing the next Guest of Honour country takes place one year before the actual festivities. So, from the end of October 2019, the identity will be used by all the partners involved in the communications related to the official programming for this important literary event.
“The visual identity is an essential element of our presence as the Guest of Honour country at the 2020 Frankfurt Book Fair,” said the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism. “I’d like to thank Canada FBM2020 and the publishing industry for their important work ahead of this large international gathering, where Canadian literature and our culture will be in the spotlight.”
“The creative reflection carried out by the committee, which brings together solid expertise, was an enriching one, and I am confident that this visual identity will do justice to the diversity and depth of our literary community,” remarked Caroline Fortin, president of Canada FBM2020.
About Canada FBM2020
Canada FBM2020 was established in collaboration with the Association of Canadian Publishers (ACP) and the Association nationale des éditeurs de livres (ANEL) to manage, in both official languages, the role and involvement of the Canadian book industry in the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2020. Canada FBM2020 receives financial support from the Department of Canadian Heritage, which is the federal department responsible for the general administration of Canada’s appearance as Guest of Honour at the 2020 Frankfurt fair. It works under the strategic supervision of an executive committee that includes representatives of Canadian Heritage, the Canada Council for the Arts, Global Affairs Canada, Telefilm Canada, and members of Canada FBM2020’s Board of Directors. As a not-for-profit organization, Canada FBM2020 is supported by an independent board of directors and works with key partners in the Government of Canada and the book industry to deliver the major elements of the Guest of Honour program. Canada FBM is an entity that uses the two official languages to represent Anglophone, Francophone and Indigenous book publishers from across Canada.
About the Concept of Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair
Each year, the Frankfurt Book Fair names as its guest of honour a country whose literature and culture are showcased during the entire period of the fair itself in October, as well as in the preceding months. The Guest of Honour country, or region, participates during the entire year leading up to the book fair in various cultural events and projects in Frankfurt and elsewhere in Germany. It also organizes a wide variety of literary activities, art and culture exhibitions, and music, dance, theatre and film programs to celebrate the talent and diversity of their creators.
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Sources:
Canada FBM2020
Jennifer-Ann Weir
Public Relations Director
514–516-7524