2026 HACHETTE AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND
EMERGING DESIGNER AWARD

Victoria Wigzell

Victoria Wigzell is an experienced branding, packaging and brand experience designer with a particular love of book design.

She’s drawn to design that breathes and communicates easily – white space, bold typography, and colour used with intention. Passionate about print and the tactile, Victoria finds book design particularly rewarding – a chance to see design translated into a finished piece that people can hold and keep. She enjoys working with people and helping bring their ideas to life with precision and care, believing the best creative work is always a collaboration.

Title: The Floral Dream by Olivia McCord

Publisher: Potton & Burton

Design Contribution: Designer all

Design Statement: The publishers brief was intentionally collaborative and flexible, with the design development led closely alongside the author. The primary requirement was to create a visually rich yet efficient layout capable of accommodating extensive photographic and editorial content across an estimated 200+ pages, while remaining flexible to varying image requirements and the publishers production workflow.

The authors vision was for The Floral Dream to feel both aspirational and practical, a modern hybrid of coffee table inspiration and functional gardening reference, which informed the books highly visual yet structured approach.

The intent behind the design for The Floral Dream was to create a book that would feel both visually striking and calm – a reference book worthy of a coffee table but genuinely practical to use. I wanted each page to feel ordered and unhurried, with enough space for the content to breathe and flow naturally. The fluoro yellow‑green accent, carried through the cover, endsheets and ribbon detail, added a sense of joy and modern energy, reflecting the accessible nature of the content. Inside, a consistent hierarchy and clear structure keep the detailed horticultural information approachable, letting the photography and rhythm of the layouts guide the reader effortlessly through the book.