A Phd Book
This PhD dissertation explores junk playgrounds as democratic spaces, asking what happens when play becomes a form of participation.
These environments are messy, constantly changing and shaped through making, testing, rebuilding and sometimes letting things fall apart. In close collaboration with researcher and author Mathias Poulsen, I translated that same logic into the visual language of the book.
Shapes, typography and layouts sit in a deliberately unstable balance, creating a sense of construction, movement and experimentation.
CLIENT
Mathias Poulsen
SERVICES
Book Design, Editorial Design, Design for Play
CREDITS
Ornella Gianforte – Visual Designer
Mathias Poulsen – Phd Researcher
YEAR
2023-2024
The design grew from the idea of playful democratic friction, with structure and freedom existing side by side.
Like the playgrounds themselves, the pages feel as if they are being built, adjusted and occasionally disrupted. Letters shift, stack and sometimes fall, while geometric forms balance in deliberately unstable compositions.
The system breaks away from traditional academic layouts without compromising readability, allowing the research to remain at the centre of the publication.
Colour also became part of the navigation system. Orange, red, blue and green distinguish sections throughout the 400-page publication, making the research easier to navigate while adding rhythm and energy.
The result is a publication that balances scholarly depth with experimentation, remaining clear and readable while visually reflecting the playful, imperfect and constantly evolving nature of the research.
The book is now part of the collection at Design School Kolding, where it continues to support students in their studies and research.
