Informal

Ten years after its original publication, Cecil Balmond’s seminal book informal remains a best-seller and a must-read for all design students. informal articulates Balmond’s manifesto for a new approach to design. Charting the evolution of form, his explorations into structure, pattern and geometry challenge conventional ideas, uncovering the possibilities for a more intuitive and dynamic approach. Toppling a tradition of Cartesian stability, informal reveals a process that allows for mystery, mysticism, doubt and fluidity, shifting the ground in engineering and architecture. Through lyrical personal sketches, theory and prose, informal reveals Balmond’s intimate moments of creation with his co-collaborators Rem Koolhaas, Daniel Libeskind, amongst others. informal was Winner of the Sir Bannister Fletcher prize for the best book on architecture in 2005.