Norwich church guidebook lands hat-trick of national design awards

A guidebook to a Norwich church has beaten off competition from Manchester City, Honda and Channel Four to scoop a hat-trick of awards in a national creative industry competition, reports Network Norwich and Norfolk.

An A to Z of St George’s was the brainchild of Norwich’s The Click Design creative director Bobby Burrage, who was inspired to create the guide one day while taking communion at St George’s Church, Colegate, just around the corner from the agency.
 
The A to Z clinched gold in the Use of Typography category, silver in the Publications category, and won the Chairman’s Award as the personal favourite of Steve Long, chair of the judging panel at the 2012 Roses Creative Awards held in Manchester.
 
Taking the beautiful carved typography within the church as inspiration, the agency worked with the congregation to create an anecdotal guide to the building and its history.
 
Situated in the heart of Norwich, the church is renowned for the intricate stone carvings adorning the walls and ledgers within. These beautiful letterforms served as inspiration for An A to Z of St George’s, a typographic guide to the history of the building and its parish. For each letter of the alphabet, a letterform is accompanied by a short fact or anecdote written by a member of the congregation.
 
The book is suitable for visitors, regular churchgoers and keen typographers alike and the limited run of 100 should raise £1000 for the church at £10 each.
 
Mr Burrage said: “This was a truly special project right from the start. Upon explaining my thoughts to my fellow congregation, they were all extremely supportive and helpful in bringing the book to life. The fact that this project has already turned a profit and continues to raise money for the upkeep of such a special place is fantastic – more important than the awards it has won enroute.”
 
The Guide can also be bought from the St George's Music Shop, about 50 metres from the church.