The readers before us
Beard, Sophie and Waller, Ally (2004) The readers before us. In: All messed up: unpredictable graphics. Laurence King Publishers, London, pp. 100-101. ISBN 1856693902
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'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 Sophie Beard 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.'
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