Methods & Madness: Life as an Experimental Book Designer

Book artist and designer Ruchika Nambiar has spent over a decade building a stubbornly interdisciplinary practice that spans graphic design, visual art, miniatures, writing and research. Joining us on the AIGA NY stage, she takes you through her journey of combining all these parallel threads into her book design practice. The "book" is a bottomless container that can hold far more than just text and image. From books made of mirrors to books made of water, from invisible secrets to zoomable maps, she will share her form-fluid approach to designing crazy experimental books that explore new relationships between content and form.

In this talk, Ruchika will share her experience of building an interdisciplinary career and finding her creative voice despite never choosing a single medium or style — something many of us in the design community know all too well. From learning to document her books, to getting them into libraries and museums, from fuelling self-driven projects to finding clients who give her free reign, her talk will show us the messy ins and outs of building an experimental creative career. She will also touch upon why artistry is now more important than ever in the age of AI — to fashion yourself as a continuously innovating and artistically sought-after creator who can produce unique objects that delight and surprise.