Experimental Layout (Design Fundamentals)

This is a study of contemporary experimental approaches to layout - the essence of graphic design. At the heart of Experimental Layout is the sheer breadth of the discipline of graphic design, its adjustments and accommodation, the innovators and their idiosyncrasies.

The theories behind contemporary graphic design are explained by the authors in essays (Spatial Dynamics, Form Follows Content and Words and Pictures) which provide insights into current debates and the context within which experimental designers work. Interviews with Mark Pawson, Peter Willberg and Ian Warner reveal the processes behind the work, the intentions and motivations.

Ian Noble and Russell Bestley have selected work from around the world which they believe is united in its concern to try different and challenging approaches, not for the sake of being different but because it is grounded in difference. Diaries, magazines, exhibition catalogs and books are among the work included in Experimental Layout. Projects range from rarely-seen personal projects to large-scale commercial work. In each case, the work questions or extends the boundaries of graphic design.