On June 20, as a key academic event of the 31st Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF), the International Conference on the Innovation Design from the Perspective of Publishing Aesthetics was held at the China National Convention Center in Beijing. Scholars from China and abroad engaged in discussions on popular topics in the publishing industry of the new era, including publishing aesthetics and design innovation, digital media and reading culture, as well as AI and graphic communication. The conference explored new ideas, approaches, and developments in international innovation design through the perspective of publishing aesthetics, and promoted interdisciplinary integration between international publishing and design studies.
International Conference on the Innovation Design from the Perspective of Publishing Aesthetics Held
The conference was hosted by Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication (BIGC) and organized by the BIGC School of Design and Art, China National Publications Import and Export (Group) Co., Ltd., and the BIGC Publishing Design and Art Research Center.
International Conference on the Innovation Design from the Perspective of Publishing Aesthetics Held
Tian Zhongli, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee and President of BIGC, delivers a welcome address.
In his welcome address, Tian Zhongli said that publishing is a vital force in promoting cultural prosperity and building a strong socialist cultural nation, that publishing aesthetics is one of the key academic directions within the publishing discipline, that its research not only concerns the external design and visual presentation of publications, but also focuses on how to integrate aesthetic standards, cultural depth, and modern publishing technologies, and that the development of this field will undoubtedly have a profound impact on modernizing and advancing the high-quality development of China's publishing industry, as well as enhancing the cultural value and artistic quality of publications.
Elena Pasoli, Culture Director of the BolognaFiere Group (Italy), delivers a speech.
Elena Pasoli extended her warm congratulations on the opening of the conference.
International guests all delivered congratulatory messages and shared academic reflections via video, including Professor Ghislaine Azémard, Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair on Digital Innovation in Transmission and Publishing (ITEN); Dr. Matthieu Quiniou, Dean of the Master's Programme in Digital Transformation at Université Paris 8, France; Professor Daniel Bilbao Peña, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Seville, Spain; Professor Angelo Benedetto, Head of Visual Communication Design at ECAL (École cantonale d'art de Lausanne), Switzerland; and Dr. Samuel Hinton, Dean of the School of Design and the Built Environment at the University of Canberra, Australia.
Professor Han Xu, Vice President of the China Academy of Art and Chair of the Graphic Design Art Committee of the China Artists Association, delivers a keynote speech.
Han Xu delivered a keynote speech titled "Danmu: A New Relationship Beyond the Symbiosis of Text and Image".
Stéphane Bovon, an independent publisher from Switzerland, delivers a keynote speech.
Stéphane Bovon delivered a keynote speech titled "Comics: From Art to Artificial Intelligence".
Professor Li Chaode, Council Member of the China Literary and Art Critics Association and Curator of the Soochow University Museum, delivers a keynote speech.
Li Chaode delivered a keynote speech titled "Design Technology Neutrality and Design Style in the AI Era".
Professor Mancera Martínez, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Seville, Spain, delivers a keynote speech.
Mancera Martínez delivered a keynote speech titled "Art, Design, and Communication in the Publishing World".
Yin Ran, Head of the Beijing Editorial Center of Zhejiang People's Fine Arts Publishing House, delivers a keynote speech.
Yin Ran delivered a keynote speech titled "Between Thought and Image: Discovering Art through Editorial Practices in Visual Narratives".
Professor Xia Xiaoqi, Director of the BIGC Publishing Design and Art Research Center, delivers a keynote speech.
Xia Xiaoqi delivered a keynote speech titled "Design, Culture, Empowerment: Chinese Culture and Contemporary Book Design in China".
Professor Yu Rong, British illustrator, delivers a keynote speech.
Yu Rong delivered a keynote speech titled "Aesthetics of Children's Book Publishing: Cross-border Visual Expression".
Professor He Jie, Executive Council Member of the China Association of Higher Education (CAHE), Chair of the CAHE Design Education Committee, and doctoral advisor at the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, acts as the moderator of the keynote session.
Professor Shi Minfeng, Secretary of the CPC Committee of the BIGC School of Design and Art, acts as the moderator of the opening session of the conference.
In his closing remarks, He Jie noted that the seven keynote speakers had brought profound reflections on innovation design in publishing aesthetics and its interrelated dynamics from diverse perspectives. He expressed the hope that, through the platform of this international conference, participants would embrace openness and inclusivity, draw upon a broad range of ideas, and pursue continuous innovation. Through sustained, candid, and constructive dialogue and exchange, he encouraged all to jointly explore new connotations, thinking, and pathways in innovation design guided by publishing aesthetics—injecting aesthetic momentum and creative vitality into the transformation and upgrading of the publishing industry and the cultivation of publishing talent.
Conference Venue
