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Tat*: A Graphic Designer’s Addiction to Ephemera and ‘Bad’ Design
A book of tat and ephemera collected by one of the UK’s most accomplished graphic designers, Andy Altmann
Most scrapbooks are tucked away in a drawer or on a shelf somewhere, never to be seen again. But, when a scrapbook is compiled by one of Britain’s foremost designers and ephemera aficionados, it’s worth taking another look.
Andy Altmann is the co-founder of Why Not Associates, the design studio behind brands like the Pompidou Center, BBC, Channel 4, and the Tate Modern. He is also an ephemera addict who has decided to put said addiction to good use by publishing a book called tat*.
*tat (noun) – anything that looks cheap, is of low quality, or in bad condition; junk, rubbish, debris, detritus, crap
Andy’s habit began decades ago. During his time as a student at Central St Martins College of Art and Design, he began amassing bits and pieces of design ideas in scrapbooks that would inspire his work.
His collection really blew up, however, the day he bought the leftover stock of a shop that was going out of business: “It had everything from 1950s jigsaws to wind-up musical birthday cards.” Andy bought three bags full of trinkets.
When he arrived home and covered his bedroom floor with his haul, “my mum asked me why I bought it,” Andy told Domestika. His response? “I don’t know, I just like it.”
And his book starts with a nod to his mother, “Here we go, Mum. I finally stuck it in a book.”
Andy is not alone in his love of tat, and the book’s Kickstarter campaign has received donations from other graphic designers who share his passion/problem: “I think there are two types of designers,” he says. “Those who amass ephemera and those who don’t, like those Swiss designers who find it offensive.” His book is for those who love it.
The publication isn’t about the quality of the design itself–"it doesn't start with some pretentious prologue"–but the charm of the pieces he’s found over the years on old posters, train tickets, and much more.
“A lot of it is widely recognized as ‘bad design’, but I love it.”
*tat is a reminder to any creative that one person’s junk could become another’s inspiration.
You can support Andy’s Kickstarter campaign and find out how to get a copy of tat* when it comes out in the spring here.
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