The Art of Looking Sidewaysa book by Alan Fletcher

Alan Fletcher is best known being a founding partner of the international design group Pentagram.

A true protagonist, he has tackled every facet of design with a unique style and purpose from corporate identities – logos, literature, advertising, signage, – to toys,

His book “The Art of Looking Sideways’ is an exploration of the workings of the hand, eye, brain and imagination

it is a collection of design inspiration

Described as the ultimate guide to visual awareness, it inspires all who enjoy the interplay between word and image, and who relish the odd and the unexpected...

Question: what is typography?Answer: A terminal condition suffered by letters

a selection from the book

A poster promoting a seminar with 6 key speakers.

A simple outline trace of the hand shifted to gain the

By tearing a simple portrait in half you get

two halves, a disruption of the whole..

mirror images can also work well

the mouth can express a thousand emotions..

as can the hands, the eyes and eyebrows

the power of the written word..

bold, honest, confronting.

Old sayings and proverbs can be used to good effect

this sign is evocative and appropriate it says“I’m a farmer, my chickens run freely, and the eggs were probably laid ths morning”

...this sign says“you’d be out of your mind to even think about it”

...well known brands with the letters rearranged can mean something else..

never under estimate the power of positive and negative images..

paradigms

a stereotypical example.....

turned on its head

the obscure

it is often more

something when it is upside down or

a square rotated to 45 degrees looks quite different it becomes a diamond

the power of language

trying familiar things new ways

images and words

images and words

images and words

images and words

images and words

a simple mark can give an otherwise obscure pattern or shape meaning

numbers are powerful communicators

‘Letters are signs for sounds’

Eric Gill

Pictures and words from ‘The Art of Looking Sideways’Alan Fletcher (2001) Phaidon