Product Description

The Final Monograph from the Internationally Renowned Graphic Designer; Follow up to Beware Wet Paint and The Art of Looking Sideways.

Phaidon Press is pleased to announce the publication of a new monograph filled with Mr. Fletcher's most recent creative work, PICTURING AND POETING. The book is an eye-catching and mind-teasing collection of visual games, doodles, graphic objects, drawings, typographic collage and quotations. Filled with almost 300 color images, is a wonderful, witty take on how to think visually and will be a source of inspiration for designers or anybody who works the arts or advertising.

PICTURING AND POETING is a testament to Fletcher's remarkable talent and a reflection of the intelligence and visionary creativity for which he was so acclaimed. The book presents a wealth of material from his notebooks and travel diaries about people and places, the contextual patterns of words and letters, and the charming and infuriating idiosyncrasies of the way in which we communicate with the world around us.

Throughout this personal collection of work, Fletcher's sketches and quotations demonstrate how images can often communicate a point more clearly than text. A self-proclaimed "doodler," Fletcher offers an entertaining exploration of the potential that words have to become pictures, and that drawings have to convey meanings. This book will appeal to anyone who enjoys visual mind-teasers and clever stories.

Alan Fletcher belonged to that elite international group of designers who transcended the conventional boundaries of their craft. He is was consultant Creative Director to Phaidon Press and the author of Beware Wet Paint (1996) and The Art of Looking Sideways (2001) The Design Museum of London will be hosting the exhibition "Alan Fletcher: Fifty years of graphic work (and play)" through February 2007.

PICTURING AND POETING is a tribute to the storied 50-year career of one of the world's great creative thinkers. As Emily King states so eloquently in the book's introduction, "Although much of this book seems to be the work of an instant, it is, of course, the product of a lifetime."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #262040 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 376 pages

About the Author
Alan Fletcher (1931-2006) was one of the most creative and internationally influential figures in the world of graphic design. He was a co-founder of Pentagram, the design consultancy, and was well known for his vibrant corporate identity work and original book designs. He passed away on September 21, 2006 at the age of 74.

In his obituary in The New York Times, Steven Heller said, "One of the powerhouses of contemporary British business and cultural graphic design, Mr. Fletcher was as well known in England as Milton Glaser is in New York, creating high profile campaigns for clients like Reuters and the Victoria and Albert Museum...(he) exhibits a signature abandon that sets him apart from many mainstream designers...for Mr. Fletcher, nothing was as important as an idea."

Customer Reviews

the art of naivete
This book exudes unrefinement- with its exposed cover boards, doodles, and hand-made collages of graphics, photos and rubbish. This is not accidental, and will make perfect sense to artists of all stripes who want a good art book that isn't about technique and isn't a collection of beautifully rendered masterpieces. What makes this book so "good" is this lack of refinement itself, plus some words of guidance to make sense of it all. In his words, Alan's drawings show "a naivety not so easy to capture with a more calculated approach." And that is the better half of art- a blatant playfulness that defies conventions and labels. Losing this playfulness is no less devastating than losing technical proficiency.

This is the lesson I learned. What will this book say to you?