All Messed Up: Unpredictable Graphics: The Readers Before Us

Anna Gerber, Allyson Waller, Sophie Beard

Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceeding with ISSN or ISBNChapterpeer-review

Abstract

'All Messed Up: Unpredictable Graphics' explores the important role that mistakes and accidents play in the creative process. In striving for perfection, we often make mistakes. In aiming for flawless work, things often go wrong. Sometimes these mistakes and accidents end up working to the designer's advantage. To realise this is to override long-standing preconceptions that define such occurrences as fundamentally wrong. 'All Messed Up' creates a space for work in which mistakes, accidents and the unpredictable are celebrated. Featuring work by established and emerging graphic designers from around the world, the book illustrates how embracing and even seeking out accidents can create ground-breaking work. The book is divided into three sections: Mistakes (where something has gone wrong, such as a printer error); Chance (where chance occurrences or found objects are incorporated into a piece of work); and System (where a system is created to actively encourage unpredictability). The book features work by Allyson Waller and Allyson Waller, The Readers Before Us from 2002. While studying at the Royal College of Art in London, Beard and Waller collected ephemera found between the pages of books inside the RCA Library. These 'memories' serve as proof, or evidence, that 'the act of reading creates its own imprint', leaving traces of 'the readers before us.'
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationLaurence King Publishing
PublisherLaurence King Publishing
Pages100–101
Number of pages2
ISBN (Print)1856693902
Publication statusPublished - 25 May 2004

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