PVA 7 / Having a KiKi

For the seventh issue of Paper Visual Art the editors/publishers invited artist, Emma Haugh to curate/edit a companion volume titled Having a Kiki. The challenge was to produce two separate volumes that could be produced and presented as a single set but could also operate as discreet publications. Paper Visual Art is a peer-reviewed journal, as such it needed to be authoritative, critical and contemporary in tone.

Curated and edited by invited artist Emma Haugh, Having a Kiki is an 'artists' publication' that leans heavily upon the graphic language of fanzines and cut ’n’ paste visual culture. In order to achieve this 'anti-design' aesthetic we employed an expanded palette of typographic and visual styles. The focus was on formal and/or stylistic contrast in choosing the large number of typefaces used throughout Having a Kiki. Visual contrast is further emphasised by juxtaposing stylistically different page layouts beside each other or in close succession. In order to maximise the 'difference' between page layouts, the individual sections/chapters of the book were designed by different designers with minimal discussion/agreement around composition or typographic conventions (echoing Andy Warhol's advice that the best way to approach collaboration is to completely ignore the other person).

The common format, use of a fifth colour (fluorescent Green ink) and some crossover of typographic styles provided ‘just enough’ similarity between the two publications.