Disorder: Swiss Grit Vol II The Graphic Design & Typography of Chris Ashworth

Published by Thames & Hudson & Unit Editions
488 pages, Hardcover

Author, editor, designer: Chris Ashworth
Cover lyrics by Underworld
Conversation with Marvin Scott Jarrett
Afterword by Adrian Shaughnessy

From the publisher: 'Chris Ashworth is an independent designer who has fused a career as a creative director with a three-decades long passion for experimental graphic design.

His inimitable hands-on approach to graphic design, exemplified in his work on two classics of 90s music magazine culture – Blah Blah Blah in the UK (designed with Neil Fletcher) and Ray Gun in the US – has won him legions of fans. 

His creative approach – termed ‘Swiss Grit’, “is a blend of Swiss principles fused with a typographic street aesthetic that brings some soul,” he says. Recently, his expressive personal work has led him to design for a range of clients including New Order, Monster Children magazine, Nike and Bush.

Ashworth sees his work – craft-based, handmade – as a counterpoint to our screen-dependent digital culture. It’s the manifestation of an alternative view which argues that creative development away from the computer offers unique and precious merits. 

Disorder: Swiss Grit Volume II, the first publication to survey his work, celebrates this approach to graphic design over nearly 500 pages. Beginning with his influential work for Ray Gun and covering a wide range of printed and published work from 1997 to the present day, the book is concerned with the human craft of creativity and analogue design, the details, imperfections and serendipitous moments. An AI-free-zone.