Contemporary design is undergoing a much needed transition . Projects are moving away from an RGB, screen orientated  environment  towards a much more bold and physical 3D style. It is this style that Tactile-High Touch Visuals focuses on. Over its 200 pages, the book exhibits the work of some of the world’s leading contemporary studios. Lush, detailed spreads are paired with skilled analysis by the authors , creating a real trove of inspirational projects.

Yet the editors have been cautious in their presentations of the work on offer. Creations from the likes of Serial Cut and Grandpeople are presented as a style arrived at through experimentation and development, rather than a fad stumble upon. Similarly Jen Stark’s ingenious paper sculptures are presented as a collection, emphasizing the tangible environment as a bona-fide movement.

What’s of most interest is the sheer array of works and styles the fall under Tactile’s umbrella. The book is categorized, with veiled chapters including ‘Type and Poster’, ’Objects Scenes and Paperworks’ and ‘Dressed Up’. The chapter titles work as qualifiers, explaining , for instance , that the pile of sweetcorn lumped on a page by Tsutomu Umezawa is in fact a typographical poster, and not yet another obscure Turner Prize entry.

As is often the case with collections, there are are questionable inclusions. But that underlines the point of Textile. You may not find every feature to your taste, but that doesn’t prevent it being a tome of original and inspirational creativity.

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