What would you do given complete freedom?
In a quest to explore the possibilities of limitless creative freedom, James Victore sent blank workbooks to an array of graphic designers all over the world (with an address headed, “if LUST please return to”). They were instructed to fill it with their dream jobs, passions and things that they lusted after. After sifting through the books of over forty graphic designers, from golden oldies to new found talent, James presented his findings in this kooky little book.
One of his own designs was quite funny, a billboard that said ‘life is what happens when you are busy texting. Kill your i-Phone’. Another design by Claudia Schmauder was so sweet and liberating, an illustration of lots of brightly coloured birds and a tagline that wished that she could free those that were captured. Things like these were quick to evoke a philosophical contemplation and amounted to a contemplative read. Other designers like Catherine Zask disappointed me; her contribution was merely a few smudges and a couple of words on the page. Although the concept of the book was to explore the wildest dreams of other designers, in reading the book I was hoping to gain an insight into the personality and imagination of each person within it and a couple of these contributions did not enable this to happen. An interview with each contributor is featured at the end of the book to enlighten the reader in regard to the pieces they have seen. With this in mind, LUST has a fantastic variety of design styles that would be brilliant to accompany a discussion on how we really define art.
A la Mode Appraisal: 7/10. A brilliant concept, but points are deducted for the price of this book. It is a little more expensive when considering that it is a scrapbook, albeit a very fascinating one.
LUST is published by Rockport Publishers and will act as a coffee table conversation starter for £20.00.
If you liked this, you may also like Hyperactivitypography by Gestalten.
A la Mode Appraisal 