The Four Winners of the Edmond de Rothschild Award for Visual Communication Design 2020 are Bezalel Academy graduates and Faculty Members

Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem congratulates the four winners of the Edmond de Rothschild Award for Visual Communication Design 2020, all are graduates and faculty members at the Department of Visual Communication. Yanek Iontef and Guy Saggee received the award for Established Designer in the Field of Visual Communication. The winners of the award for Emerging Designer are Ayal Zakin and Dar Laor.

The purpose of the Edmond de Rothschild Design Award is to promote and encourage excellence through public recognition of established designers with a high caliber portfolio of significant volume; to identify and support emerging designers at the start of their career; to boost local interest in contemporary design and enhance international exposure to Israeli design.

In their reasons for presenting Yanek Iontef with the Establish Designer Award, members of the selection committee stated that Iontef "displays an enormous body of work in the fields of design, conservation, restoration and research of the Hebrew alphabet. He is a brilliant typographer who operates as a creator, researcher and restorer. In so doing, he conserves, revives and shapes local visual culture." Additionally, "his presence in the local design scene is prominent, constituting a distinct quality marker in the field of Hebrew typographic design. His unique and meticulous life's work will remain present in local visual culture for decades to come all the way into the distant future, and will be remembered as an important chapter in the history of Hebrew typography."

In their reasons for presenting Guy Saggee with the Established Designer Award, committee members stated that, "Guy Saggee's portfolio is both fascinating and spectacular in its scope and quality, leaving a powerful impression on the viewer. Through his diverse body of work, Guy displays exceptional talent in all his chosen fields and mediums – design for various applications, drawing, typography, commercial branding, cultural design and interactive media." Additionally, "Guy is an original, inquisitive and prolific designer, who creates sensitive, intelligent and unexpected connections between image and text, and between graphic works and the format and space in which they exist. In attempting to find a definition that could properly capture his work, we could say that Guy is a designer, creator, artist and craftsman who celebrates visual communication at the highest level, creating exciting connections between traditional, contemporary and upcoming graphic design.

In their reasons for presenting Ayal Zakin with the Emerging Artist Award, committee members stated that Zakin "presents a rich and diverse volume of work, using a distinct, original and restrained personal language at a very high standard. His work as a young independent designer features experimental audacity and professional gravitas, depth alongside impressive diversity. His work creates rich products that celebrate graphic design in its various channels at the highest level." Additionally, "Ayal produces intelligent and fascinating imagery, creating clever connections between image, text and format. His work displays extraordinary mastery in handling complex typographic products, which he thoughtfully and tastefully weaves into complete visual works."

In their reasons for presenting Dar Laor with the Emerging Artist Award, committee members stated that Laor "displays a distinct professional identity that is consolidated into an original, contemporary and local point of view. Her work is characterized by a wealth of photographic, stylized and typographic imagery at a very high standard. Dar is able to cleverly differentiate between the necessity of using color, which is powerfully present in her work, and providing monochromatic solutions, which she produces with great talent and skill." Additionally, "in her work, she thoughtfully deciphers the environment in which she operates, offering intriguing solutions that provide the viewer with a multilayered visual and communicative experience. The encounter with her work in the spaces where she operates, whether commercial or cultural channels, is a powerful experience which leaves its mark on the viewer."