Tim Burton: Designing Worlds

Tim Burton: Designing Worlds is the official catalogue for the Design Museum exhibition opening in October 2024, as well as the first publication to explore the relationship between Tim Burton’s artistic creations and the world of design. The reader will be invited into an examination of what is now broadly referred to as the ‘Burtonesque’, exploring his iconic style and the impact his unique design aesthetic has on broader visual culture.

The catalogue will unpack Tim Burton’s distinctive visual language, exploring the intersection of gothic, carnivalesque and fantastical elements that define his cinematic masterpieces. Insightful essays by design experts and film critics, interspersed with images featured in the exhibition, will offer a deeper understanding of the director’s creative process, making this catalogue an homage to the role that design practice plays in the hauntingly beautiful worlds he creates.

"One advantage I think is my design sense. When you’re drawing, every element, every line, makes up what it is; and there is a feeling of that when I think about a shot." – Tim Burton