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Yellow planner with spiral binding on a white background
2026-2027 Academic Diary - Ochre Yellow
Pocket-sized pen in blue by Papersmiths
Pocket Pen - Haze Blue

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Silver pocket pen with Papersmiths logo

Pocket Pen - Raw Steel

Color: RAW STEEL

£7.00

Maroon pencil with silver and gold accents on a white background

Pocket Pencil - Mulberry Red

Color: MULBERRY RED

£6.00

Failed It!
Book Failed it
Failed It! book
failed it book images
failed it book open
Blurb failed it book

Failed It!

Phaidon

£6.77
£6.77 £9.95
32% off
Final sale
Taxes included.

Full Description

Failed it! celebrates the power of mistakes and shows how they can enrich the creative process. This is part photobook and part guide to loosening up and making mistakes to take the fear out of failure and encourage experimentation.

It showcases the best and most hilarious examples of imperfection and failure across a broad range of creative forms, including art, design, photography, architecture and product design, to inspire and encourage creatives to embrace and celebrate their mistakes.

We live in an era when everyone is striving for perfection and we have become afraid of failure, which limits our potential. Mistakes help us find new ways of thinking and innovative solutions, and failures can change our perceptions and open up new ways of looking things. This book transforms mistakes from something to be embarrassed about into a cause for celebration.

It includes over 150 visual examples drawn from Kessels personal collection of artworks and found photographs, along with tips, quotes, anecdotes and wisdom for celebrating with failure. To quote Kessels:"the ubiquity of Apple + Z, means that we can literally undo any mistake before it has had time to breathe, be considered and perhaps evolve into something else: a fascinating, strange, provocative or even original piece of work. This book asks readers to embrace their fuck-ups, learn from them and celebrate their tawdry glory".

168 pages

17.8 x 12 cm
Item is out of stock
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Things that make you wonder why nobody thought of them sooner

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Notebook bands, clips, sharpeners, rulers and handy extras

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Thoughtfully sent - Beautifully wrapped with a handwritten note

Sending as a gift?:

Gift Wrapping Service

Classic Gift Wrapping Service

£5.00

Order before 12pm and receive your order as soon as: Monday, October 26
Shipping & returns

Any questions?

Simply email online@paper-smiths.live and we'll be happy to help.

Failed It!

£6.77 £9.95
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Trusted Stationer of 13+ years

Papersmiths started with a single shelf of stationery in a Bristol design studio. A decade on, we still choose every piece the same way - for its story, its tactility, and the way it makes you want to sit down and write something. Visit us in Chelsea or Brighton, or shop the collection we've spent years designing and refining.