Chaos Is Okay is a research through practice project by Gabriella Tarantonio, developed as part of her MA in Visual Communication at Birmingham City University. The work takes the form of an abstract, hand made map that visualises the merging of two different design methodologies: design thinking and experimentation. Rather than presenting a fixed conclusion, the project documents a journey through uncertainty, reflection, and trial and error, positioning mess and disruption as productive forces within creative practice.
The project began as a module assignment but quickly became more personal. Students were asked to formulate a research question and attempt to answer it through practice, without the pressure of arriving at a definitive outcome. Tarantonio chose to examine her own way of working, asking whether combining the structured logic of design thinking with a more open, experimental approach could strengthen her practice or lead to failure. Instead of writing a traditional essay, she chose to visualise this investigation as a map, allowing process, emotion, time, and theory to coexist on a single surface.
The map operates as a record of lived experience rather than a diagram of best practice. It brings together insights, reflections, and theoretical references, layered alongside shifts in mood and momentum. The result is intentionally dense and non linear, reflecting the reality of creative work as it unfolds. As Tarantonio explains, “The journey I went on wasn’t smooth, like most designers understand. It was confusing, having to change the way you work and think, but it was good for my exploration and development. That’s where the name came from, ‘Chaos is okay’. The merging of design thinking and experimentation felt like chaos to me, but it worked.”
Visually, the project draws inspiration from the language of cartography. The layout was influenced by an antique map Tarantonio discovered while browsing an antique centre in Llangollen. She describes this moment directly: “The inspiration of the layout came from a map. One thing I have noticed, as a designer, is that I never stop looking for inspiration. So, as I was rummaging through one of the many antique centres in Llangollen, I saw this map. The colour, layout and format was what made me buy it. But what made me take inspiration from it was the reflection on how this project was a journey.”
Looking back on the completed work, Tarantonio frames the map as a tool for reflection as much as documentation. “Sitting down to write this piece, now that it is all submitted and graded, is like looking at a ‘Where’s Wally’ book. Trying to find the thoughts and feelings of my design process is like looking for a man in a red stripey jumper amongst chaos.” This retrospective reading reinforces the idea that meaning in design often emerges after the fact, once distance allows patterns to be seen.
Chaos Is Okay ultimately argues for a more generous understanding of process. By embracing confusion, failed attempts, and emotional fluctuation, the project challenges the expectation that design must always appear resolved or orderly. Instead, it proposes that honesty, growth, and insight often live within the mess.
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