Allen & Unwin
Award for Best Commercial Book for Adults 2025

Finalist

Designer: Megan van Staden & Simon Paterson

Title: Amma
Publisher: Moa Press
Format: 234 x 153mm, 304pp. Trade paperback, unsewn on creamy 65gsm stock. Cover with spot UV and gold foil.

Typography: Adobe Caslon Pro. We wanted a sophisticated, literary feel that still felt pickup-able to the reader. Caslon pro achieved this, with elegant chapter headings and character names in a bold Kiano.

Publisher’s Brief
“We briefed Amma to be confident and memorable with standout impact on the shelf’. We wanted to balance the literary tone with commercial appeal to reach a broad audience. We wanted extremely vibrant colour and felt that pink would be a good place to start, especially the hot pink and red combinations that feel reminiscent of Sri Lankan fabrics and flowers. We briefed the cover to be illustrative with a chaotic energy to it and used both the banyan tree and the imagery of hair as thought starters.”