Daniel Eatock Imprint (Hardcover)

Imagine the work of a young designer for whom concept and humor are more important than the glossy aesthetics of mainstream periodicals and design annuals and for whom the message trumps the media, and you begin to get an idea of the refreshingly smart and thought-provoking work of Daniel Eatock. Rejecting the widely held opinion that work made without a client is "art" and work for hire is "design," Eatock challenges both categories by purposely blurring the distinction. Whether he is solving client problems or those of his own choosing, Eatock's work responds to personal fascinations and the desire to invent, discover, and present. His commissioned works for clients include an exhibition catalog featuring sound chips, a flip book, handwritten notes, and a cover wrapped in the upholstery fabric used on London transit seating, as well as the graphic identity of the UK's Big Brother reality-TV series, among many others. Eatock's idea of "entrepreneurial authorship" has resulted in numerous self-published limited-edition works such as an edition of prints made using every color of Pantone's felt-tip pens and his Untitled Beatles Poster, which includes the lyrics from every Beatles song. Eatock's most personal self-initiated artworks share an unabashed enthusiasm for punch lines, miscommunication, and seriality: there's the search for a stone that weighs exactly one stone; a perfectly hand-drawn circle, the world's largest signed and numbered limited-edition artwork, utilitarian greeting cards, price label wrapping paper, car alarm dances, and a fruit bowl stickered with fruit labels. The first monograph on this unconventional practitioner, Daniel Eatock Imprint is as unconventional as the artist himself. While utilizing and embracing the expectations of a traditional monograph, the London-based designer also challenges and subverts them, presenting works based on connections and associations through color, composition, titles, material, and format rather than in chronological or hierarchical order. Constantly oscillating between art and graphic design, this book is full of Eatock's astute observations and eccentric obsessions.

Daniel Eatock is a graduate of Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication and the Royal College of Art. His independent art and design studio Eatock Ltd. focuses on both self-initiated art projects and commissioned design work.